Hinatachan's Konohagakure Christmas
by BloodAngelsFan11
Summary: After Pein's attack on Konoha and after a lot of rebuilding things are back to normal and Christmas is just around the corner. Amidst the frantic pace of the holidays will Hinata get the one thing she wants? -I hope you enjoy the story!-
1. Day 0 The Mission Begins

**Hey guys!**

**After Pein's attack on Konoha and after a lot of rebuilding things are back to normal and Christmas is just around the corner. With a couple of days until Christmas Hinata is trying her hardest to get Naruto to notice her. Naruto is unsure of his feelings towards his lavender-eyed friend. Amidst the frantic pace of the holidays will Hinata get the one thing she wants?**

**This story is going to be very Hinata-centric, and it will only switch to Naruto's PoV occasionally when it's important. For the most part it's told in third person, from Hinata's PoV.**

**I know it's weird to right a Christmas story in July, but I thought it might be fun! So here it is,**

_Hinata-chan's Konoha Christmas_

* * *

Despite its name, the Land of Fire could be quite cold in the winter. It was just one of those things no one really thought about, not questioning the snow that lazily drifted down to the newly rebuilt village. The residents of the Konohagakure no Sato were grateful to have homes again in time to combat the harsh bite of winter. Although it was much warmer than in some other countries, the chill in the air could still be harmful.

The sun was hidden behind a thin layer of clouds but it was still quite bright, reflecting off the thin sheet of ice crystals that littered the ground. The light twinkling on the ground was reflected in the pale lavender eyes of Hyuuga Hinata, who sat alone on a bench near her clan's compound. She smiled briefly, a slight blush tinting her cheeks, as she thought of how the eyes a certain blonde-haired shinobi were like that when he smiled.

She huddled inside of her jacket, which she wore at all times, to combat the cold. She sat, not really paying attention to anything, a thoughtful expression on her face. It had been little over a month since she had confessed her love for Naruto, and although they had still talked he had never brought it up. '_Naruto-kun probably forgot about it, or he just doesn't want to hurt my feelings'_ she thought sadly, while unwittingly brushing her long, bluish hair from her face.

She continued to think to herself, oblivious to the people walking past. _'Why would Naruto-kun want to be with me? He could be with someone better, like Sakura-chan.' _The blonde shinobi's infatuation with the pink-haired kunoichi was well-known. _'As long as Naruto-kun is happy, then that is good enough'_

Hinata was broken from her mental reverie when suddenly she felt someone sit beside her on the bench. She looked to the newcomer and found herself gazing into the two bright blue eyes she had thought of constantly.

Naruto flashed her a smile, causing her face to go red, before loudly exclaiming "Oi, Hinata-chan!"

Hinata's face was on fire as she shyly said, "K-Konichiwa, Naruto-kun" She inwardly cursed her stutter.

"Hinata-chan, I was wondering what you wanted for Christmas…" Naruto began to scratch the back of his head "I figure I owe you something after coming to help me and all."

Hinata began to feel light-headed, '_Naruto-kun wants to get me a present?". _She was silent for a moment, only speaking when she saw Naruto's growing discomfort with the quiet. "I-I don't really know w-what I want." _Except for you to be mine_ "B-but that's okay, you d-don't have to get me a-anything."

Naruto shook his head, "Hinata-chan, it's the least I could do." Hinata was slightly entranced by how the light caught his hair when he moved. She blushed as she snapped back into focus, but couldn't think of how to answer.

Naruto quickly opened his mouth to speak. "I got it! How about you come over to my place Christmas Eve and then I can take you to pick something out!"

Hinata thought she was going to faint. _Naruto-kun's place?_ Although she was nervous, she was also kind of excited. _Maybe it could be like… a date? _"S-sure." She smiled at Naruto, noticing him pause. She smiled more when she realized that Naruto was staring at her, although her cheeks began to heat considerably.

Maybe it was just her eyes playing tricks, but did Naruto blush as well when he realized what he was doing? He scratched the back of his head again smirking a bit, saying "Well, I guess I'll just go get something to eat then. Sayonara, Hinata-chan"

As Naruto stood to leave Hinata began yelling at herself internally, '_Say something!'_ Hinata, her face bright red, quietly spoke up. "Um… N-naruto-kun, I h-haven't eaten yet… m-maybe we could g-get something t-together?" As the word 'together crossed her lips Hinata thought she was going to faint.

Naruto looked surprised, but then he grinned widely at her. "Sure, Hinata-chan! Do you like ramen?"

Hinata slowly got up to stand next to Naruto. "R-ramen sounds g-good."

With Hinata walking next to him, Naruto began to walk to possibly his favorite place in Konoha; Ichiraku Ramen. He was kind of embarrassed about how he had been staring at Hinata; he had never noticed how nice her smile was. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her, that same smile on her face. And since when had her eyes been that pretty? Naruto shook his head, what was he thinking? He'd never thought about Hinata that way; he'd always been so enamored with Sakura. Maybe it was just because of what she said when he was fighting Pein?

Although he had still talked to Hinata, Naruto was a bit unsure about her words. How could she have loved him without him noticing? Still, he wasn't really sure how to talk about it… although as they were walking in silence he figured that maybe they should.

Hinata felt a bit awkward walking with Naruto in silence, but she still couldn't help but grin thinking that they were going out to lunch together… even if it was only friendly. She looked around at the snow which still fell to the ground to cover everything in a white sheet. She turned, hoping to say something and break the silence when Naruto spoke up, a somewhat… worried?...expression on his face.

"Hinata-chan I think we have to talk about what happened with Pein."

Hinata was dumbstruck by Naruto suddenly wanting to talk about it. She blushed as she remembered her confession to Naruto. "O-okay. Um..." she began to tap her index fingers together out of nervousness.

"Did you really mean what you said?"

Hinata looked him in the eyes now, determination in her voice. "Naruto-kun, I meant everything I said and I'd fight Pein again a hundred times to protect you" She didn't stutter once.

Naruto was shocked by the confidence and vindication in her voice. "Wow… Hinata-chan… I… um…"

Hinata felt her cheeks flush while inside she started to be overcome with sadness. _Naruto-kun can't even say anything… is my love that appalling? _"N-naruto-kun, I understand th-that you don't l-like me that w-way. I k-know how m-much you like S-sakura-chan and…" Her speech started to dwindle away into silence. Hinata glanced at Naruto, to see how he was reacting. He actually looked concerned.

"Hinata-chan it's not that…. Well… "He scratched the back of his head nervously "You're really nice Hinata-chan, and I like talking to you, just I'm not really sure how I feel right now… Maybe if we just wait a bit we might see how things go?"

Hinata looked at him with wide eyes. _Did Naruto-kun just say that he might go out with me? _She began to smile and quietly said "S-sure." Full of hope Hinata began to think feverishly. _What do I do? Do I say something? Do I hang out with him more? Do I… I'll have to ask Sakura-chan!_

The rest of the walk was pleasant, the tension broken. They talked about most everything that came to mind. Cooking; Hinata enjoyed cooking when she was nervous or wasn't training with her team, Naruto practically lived off of ramen so he had almost no cooking skills. Music; Hinata liked slow songs and love songs, Naruto didn't listen to music that much. Instructors; Hinata loved to talk with Kurenai, who was like a mother to her. Naruto started to complain about always having pervy teachers, besides Iruka-sensei.

They finally arrived at Ichiraku Ramen as Naruto was telling a story about 'Ero-Sennin' and his exploits, which made Hinata blush furiously. As she and Naruto walked toward the bar to order some food Hinata saw Sakura out of the corner of her eye. She looked at the pink-haired kunoichi, who was giving her a grin and a thumbs-up. If Hinata wasn't already blushing she would be. She looked away from Sakura and took a seat next to Naruto.

The blonde shinobi was grinning ear-to-ear as he spoke up "Oi, old man! Two bowls of ramen!"

Without looking the owner of Ichiraku Ramen just said back "Naruto, I'm not going to start you off with two bowls; one at a time, even for our favorite customer! You know the new rule with a lot of people still going hungry; I have to have enough on hand to feed anyone who-" He turned around to be caught by surprise "Naruto! You didn't say you weren't eating alone! Two bowls it is." He cast them a grin and began to prepare their food when a girl, probably the old man's daughter, walked over with a mischievous look. "So, Naruto, who's your girlfriend?"

Hinata's recently cool cheeks were blazing all over again while Naruto started stammering an answer, "Ayame-chan, Hinata-chan's not my girlfriend, we just… uh… decided to grab some lunch while we were talking." He grinned nervously while Ayame laughed and walked away.

Thanking Teuchi for the ramen, Hinata began to slowly eat her meal while Naruto devoured his in a matter of seconds. Naruto was about to ask for more when he looked over to see the now-giggling Hyuuga. Naruto felt embarrassed for a moment, but he gave her a large smile. She had a really cute laugh…

Hinata eventually reigned in her laughter and then continued to eat her meal with Naruto in comfortable silence. She was ecstatic at having got to spend time with her love. _This is great! I get to spend time with Naruto-kun and he even said he might ask me out!_ If she wasn't so shy she'd be shouting her joy to the world.

Teuchi returned with two more bowls, even though they hadn't requested any. Through a big smile he said "I know I shouldn't do this, but a round on the house for the lovely couple!" Hinata couldn't help but giggle again at Naruto's excited expression. That was one thing she loved about him; his enthusiasm. She was amazed by how much effort he put into things and how much excitement he got from them, despite his lonely childhood. She was so distracted by Naruto, who himself was distracted by the ramen, that they didn't notice Teuchi's implication of them dating.

She and Naruto both reached for one of the bowls at the same time, their hands brushing against each other before they both quickly pulled them away. Hinata blushed bright crimson and Naruto's cheeks were also tinged red. Hinata pushed the bowl towards Naruto before grabbing the second one. After finishing their ramen, which Naruto paid for, they left Ichiraku and walked together a short way before either one spoke.

Naruto, unsurprisingly, was the first one to speak. "I had a great time, Hinata-chan! It was nice talking with you." He gave a brief wave and a "Sayonara!" before turning to leave.

As Hinata watched him go she started to feel giddy. _I can't believe that I just went out to eat with Naruto-kun!_ She had barely taken two steps before Sakura ran up to her with a grin. "So, Hinata-chan... How was your date with Naruto back there?"

Hinata blushed, "It w-wasn't a date... w-we just went out t-to eat."

Sakura wouldn't let up. "Come back to my house and tell me everything!" With that Tsunade's apprentice grabbed the other girl and dragged her to her home, giving only a brief greeting to her mother before continuing into her bedroom.

As the door slammed behind them Hinata looked appraisingly at Sakura's room. It was now painted with more muted colors, varying tones of beige and light green, and a new carpet covered the floor underneath. Assorted ninja gear was placed around the room, looking as if it could be gathered at a moment's notice. She wondered if the change in decoration was because Sakura wanted it, or because her parents wanted it; her previous room had been destroyed along with the rest of the upper floor. She gave one last gaze around the room before she felt herself being yanked onto the bed.

Sakura's eyes gleamed as she opened her mouth; she loved gossip. "So, Hinata, what were you and Naruto doing?"

Hinata blushed a little as she thought of Naruto. "H-he came up to me w-while I was s-sitting by my family's c-compound, and asked what I-I wanted for Christmas…"

Sakura grinned. "Why? Did he say he was getting you something?"

Hinata nodded, "I said t-that I didn't know w-what I wanted, and that h-he didn't have to g-get me anything."

"And?"

"H-he told me that I should g-go to his place o-on Christmas E-eve and he would t-take me shopping." Sakura began to shriek excitedly as Hinata went on. "H-he was about to walk a-away to go e-eat, and I asked i-if I could go."

Sakura raised a questioning eyebrow but waved for her to go on.

"O-on the way there h-he wanted to talk about… w-what I said when I protected him from Pein…"

Sakura's one raised eyebrow turned to a look of shock; Naruto had brought it up? He was so dense she had figured he'd forget about it. "And what did you say?"

Hinata blushed a bit as she recalled her words. "He a-asked if I m-meant what I said, and I s-said that I t-truly meant it and that I'd f-fight Pein a hundred t-times to protect h-him…" Her volume was dwindling as she went on, in proportion to the increasing redness in her cheeks.

Sakura looked excited now. "Hinata, are you being bold?" Hinata's blush darkened even further. "Anyway, what did he say?"

"I-I said that I u-understood that h-he didn't l-like me, but h-he said… he said that I was r-really nice, and that he liked t-to talk to m-me, and that h-he just needed to f-figure out his f-feelings… and th-that if I w-waited a b-bit we'd "see how things g-go"."

Sakura shrieked again in excitement. "So Naruto said he might go out with you?"

Hinata slowly nodded, feeling faint all over again. "H-hai… S-sakura-chan, I w-was wondering if y-you could h-help me w-with Naruto-kun."

Sakura nodded fervently. "Anything to get it through the baka's thick head." She paused for a moment, a thoughtful look on her face, before she nodded as if having decided something. "Okay, I have a plan to get you your man by Christmas."

Hinata blushed at Naruto being called 'her man', but nodded for her to continue.

"Today's the twentieth, right? That gives us four days to work." Sakura put on a serious face. "Okay, S Rank Mission; Get it through the Baka's skull, is in effect. I'm going to outline your objectives." Sakura said this in a serious tone that sounded like Tsunade, but the edge of her mouth was lifted in a small smirk. Hinata began giggling like crazy.

"Day One; spend the day with Naruto and talk with him. Bump into him on the street or something. Target eats more than anyone should and hasn't decorated his apartment yet; suggested tactics are to take him somewhere to eat or offer to help decorate."

Hinata was still lightly giggling at how Sakura was assigning the 'mission', but was committing everything she said to memory.

"Day Two; start getting flirty." Hinata blushed, her cheeks turning pink then red. "I'll tell the baka to get you some flowers from Ino-pig to thank you for Day One. You will act surprised when he gives them to you, and kiss him on the cheek." That did nothing to help Hinata's blushing. "You will then ask him if he'd like to join you for a walk in the park. Hold his hand, if the baka allows it. After your walk, have him bring you home."

Hinata was suddenly afraid as she thought how her father might respond to Naruto walking her home to the compound, but she snapped out of it as Sakura continued.

"Day Three; Christmas Party. I'm going to tell Naruto about the Christmas party that Ino-pig and I are throwing, and will not-so-subtly hint for him to ask you to go. I know the baka doesn't have nice clothes, so you will help him shop for some. This isn't part of the mission but please don't let him get something orange."

"Day Four; Sealing the Deal. Go to Naruto's apartment early and ask if you can just hang out there. Suggested tactic is to watch a movie, so you can snuggle up to him." Hinata's blush came back full force, having finally faded. "Go out shopping like you're supposed to and buy him something he'll like without him noticing. Instead of doing what he intends, have him buy you something and say you'll love whatever he gets. Be sure to say "love", that's important. Then ask if he can give it to you at his place, because you're kind of cold. To succeed in your mission you have to ask if you can stay there, and have the baka agree. If you've done everything right, you should wake up on Christmas with a knuckle-headed present to greet you."

Hinata managed to pale and blush at the same time by the end of her plan. _Stay with Naruto-kun?_ Sakura knew how shy Hinata was, and wasn't surprised in the slightest when she fainted.

Hinata was only out for a few seconds before waking back up. She was still shocked that Sakura had told her to stay at Naruto's apartment, but… what if Sakura's plan really could win over Naruto? "Th-thank you, Sakura-chan. H-how did you come u-up with that s-so quickly?"

Sakura grinned, "What can I say? I'm good at that sort of thing. Besides, I've been thinking of plans to get you and the baka together since I figured out you liked him… if only to get him to stop bugging me."

Hinata blushed furiously… again. _I need to stop blushing…_ "Th-thank you for the h-help, Sakura-chan. I'll t-try to do what you s-said."

Sakura nodded. "Just remember Hinata-chan, more than anything just be yourself." Sakura stood, beckoning Hinata towards the door.

Hinata began to meander toward the exit. "H-hai. I c-can do that."

Hinata walked away from the Haruno's home with a noticeable bounce in her step and a grin on her face. Some people were surprised the usually shy, reclusive Hyuuga so outwardly happy, but thought nothing of it afterward.

After a short while, Hinata arrived at her clan's compound and went immediately to her room to think. She did this most all of the time she was home, and most of her family members left her to her business… except for Hanabi and Neji; they often would enter her room to talk to her when they passed by. As she sat on her bed, deep in thought, she heard a soft knocking on the door followed by her sister, who opened the door before Hinata could respond and went to sit on the bed as well. Hanabi and her sister got along well, yet her sister could not grasp the concept of being courteous to people other than Father and the clan elders.

"What are you doing, Hinata-nee-chan?"

To most people this would seem rude, but Hinata knew it was just how Hanabi was. "I'm j-just thinking." She liked Hanabi but she didn't want Father to possibly get wind of her plans to win over Naruto.

"About what?"

"J-just something th-that happened earlier… it's n-not important, r-really."

"Nee-chan, don't lie to me. If it isn't important you wouldn't think about it."

Hinata put on a less-than-genuine smile to try and dissuade her younger sister. "Hanabi-chan, i-it's not s-something you need to w-worry about."

"It's about Uzumaki Naruto, isn't it?"

Hinata blushed, "N-n-no!"

Hanabi grinned at her sister's denial. "Oh, nee-chan! Did he ask you out?"

Hinata reluctantly went on. "H-he asked me to go to his p-place on Christmas E-eve to take me shopping f-for a gift."

Hanabi looked excited. She loved two things besides her training; gossip and romance. Of course Father didn't know about any of that, he only saw the perfect, proper Hyuuga. "Anything else?"

"He took m-me to get some lunch and s-said that we should wait a bit while he figures out his f-feelings, th-then see how it goes."

"Okay, but lunch was a while ago. What did you two do next?" Hanabi wanted to know everything, like usual.

'W-well, he left after we ate. Then S-sakura-chan asked me about it, and… "She had been lightly blushing before but now her cheeks were on fire! "c-came up with a p-plan to h-help me get N-naruto-kun by C-christmas."

Hanabi squealed excitedly. She was like Sakura in some respects. "Okay! I'll make sure Father doesn't hear a word of it, just go get him!" Hanabi smiled as her older sister blushed even deeper.

"Th-thank you, Hanabi-chan."

As her sister began to walk away, excitedly mumbling to herself, Hinata's thoughts returned to a certain blonde-haired shinobi.

* * *

The sun had long since set on the Konohagakure no Sato as Naruto lazily crawled into bed, pushing empty ramen cups aside as he nestled into a comfortable position. Not for the first time since he saw her, Naruto thought about his shy, lavender-eyed friend.

At first he was shocked that she loved him… no one had ever said that to him. Not only did she say she loved him, she risked her life to protect him. That meant a lot to him; he started to think that maybe they would have a chance… but once she recovered he had never brought it up because he was afraid she would take back those words that made him feel alive. If he just had some way to be absolutely sure that she meant it, then maybe…

He had never felt this nervous or worried when he thought –no, knew!- that Sakura would reject him, why did he feel this way now? Well… Hinata was special to him.

Hinata, although he had never really thought about it, had always been there for him. She had always believed in him and cheered him on. She was the nicest girl he had ever met, always worrying about others despite whatever happened to her. She persevered when people put her down, and tried at what she did. And although it wasn't why he liked her… she was very pretty.

But what about Sakura? She was his teammate, and they had gone through a lot. She was… loud… arrogant… violent towards him… She had rejected him many times… As the thought about Sakura in comparison to Hinata he suddenly realized he'd been trying for the wrong person. He would have to ask Hinata out. But… that lingering doubt still remained. What if she wouldn't be with him, especially if she found out about his… tenant?

As if sensing the mention, which it possibly did, the Kyuubi no Yoko's voice resonated through his mind. **Kit, if you truly care about –or are even thinking of being with- this girl, do as I say. You must not be afraid to drive away those you care about if you wish to be closer to them. **

Naruto sent a query to the fox-demon with his thoughts, _Kyuubi, why would you try to help me? _

The nine-tailed fox replied in full honesty, or at least as far as Naruto could tell, **Kit, If I must spend the rest of your short life inside your mind, I do not wish to hear your incessant whining and loneliness. **

Naruto smirked a bit, _Kyuubi, that was harsh!_

When there was no reply from the demon Naruto drifted off to conflicted dreams of a certain dark-haired girl. Whether or not he would take the Fox's advice remained to be seen.

* * *

**So, tell me what you think! I know Hanabi might have been OOC, but I think it works for this story. Also, I'm a white guy with virtually no experience with the Japanese language, so if I got it wrong please just tell me so I can fix it. All-in-all I had fun writing this, and if you guys had fun reading it then I'll be sure to continue it! (Also, although I'm not a big fan of Sakura, there won't be any Sakura bashing in this fic.)**


	2. Day 1 Mistletoe and Barbeque

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned Naruto nor any associated characters or places.**

**So, this chapter is the beginning of Sakura's master plan to get Naruto to open his eyes and finally realize he likes –maybe loves- Hinata. **

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Hinata slowly rose up from her bed, shaking her head slightly to clear her thoughts and rid herself of the drowsiness she felt from waking up. She looked at the small calendar next to her bed; it was the twenty-first. She just looked at the calendar with droopy eyes until the sight of it reminded her of Sakura's plan. She suddenly jerked at the memory and leapt out of the bed, heading towards her closet.

She set aside her usual clothes but her hands hesitated upon touching her jacket. She couldn't remember a day in her life where she hadn't been wearing something over her other clothing; she always felt safe in her jackets, like she could hide beneath the thick clothing from all of her insecurities and fears. Her grip tightened for a moment before releasing, leaving the thing hanging where it was. If she wanted to win over Naruto she needed to be strong, and how could she say she was strong enough for him if she couldn't go a day without hiding behind a jacket? Also… she figured trying to show off her figure might help a bit.

She instead searched through what she owned until her fingers brushed across a sweater of her mother's that Father had given her. She took it out, appraising it with scrutinizing detail. It was a deep purple -her favorite color- and was just long enough to come to rest at her waist. She slipped it on before looking it over in the mirror; it was a bit tight in the bodice[1] and was formfitting everywhere else as well, but she supposed that wasn't a bad thing.

With a curt nod to herself Hinata took off the sweater, laying it carefully next to the rest of her arrayed outfit, before heading into the small bathroom adjoined with her bedroom to take a shower. As she stood beneath the warm flowing water she thought about Sakura's plan. A blush tinted her cheeks but for a moment she decided to pretend it was from the heat of the shower, and that she wasn't embarrassed.

So, how was she going to convince Naruto to spend the day with her? Luckily, she didn't think there would be too many people interrupting them. _Sakura-chan won't intervene, since it's her plan. Ino-chan, Shikamaru and Choji were planning to train today, while Kiba and Shino are spending the day with their clans. Kurenai-sensei probably won't be up and about too much and Kakashi-san will probably be reading or training all day. If I'm lucky I might get to spend the whole day alone with Naruto! In… his… apartment… without anyone else around… _Hinata wasn't even going to try and pretend that the blush wasn't real this time. If she could make it through the day without fainting she would deserve a medal.

Thinking on where Naruto might be, Hinata shut off the water and began to dress in her bedroom. As she pulled the sweater on Hinata figured she might as well check to most obvious place; _Ichiraku Ramen._

Giving a brief look at herself before nodding in satisfaction Hinata walked out of her bedroom hurrying to the entrance to her family compound before leaving to track down her blonde-haired crush. She was grateful for the warmth the sweater provided as she began walking along the streets toward her destination. She didn't know what time it was but she figured Naruto was probably awake by now, either training or eating his breakfast of ten bowls of ramen.

As she saw Ichiraku's drawing closer she started frantically thinking of what she was going to say. _Ugh! Why didn't I think of this before I left? Now I'm going to sound like an idiot because I don't know what to do. "Hey Naruto-kun, I'm going to help you decorate so I can spend the day at your apartment and try to get you to love me!" _She blushed a bit as she thought again about spending the day at Naruto's place, but ignored it as she kept on thinking.

Luckily, or unluckily, enough, Naruto wasn't there. Hinata entered the Ramen shop only to see Teuchi and Ayame standing alone. As she drew closer Ayame recognized her and waved. "Oi! You're Naruto's girlfriend, right?" Hinata could tell from her smirk that it was just to annoy her, but that didn't stop the blush.

"I-if you see Naruto-kun, could you t-tell him I was l-looking for him?"

"Why? You planning a hot date or something?"

Hinata just blushed more before walking away. She supposed she should better check the training grounds. Snow started falling as she made her way there, and she couldn't help but start humming some songs she remembered her mother hum when she was very little.

_Naruto-kun usually trains at Training Ground 7, so I guess I'll start there…_

_

* * *

_

Naruto took a deep breath as he wiped the sweat from his brow. He didn't know why but today he had decided to go to Training Ground 14 for a change of scenery. Hearing his stomach loudly growling at him he began to head to his favorite place in town for a quick meal.

Unlike his body, which had a definite direction, Naruto's mind was all over the place. _I wonder if I'll see Hinata-chan again… _was immediately followed by _Wow, I am really hungry…_

Just as he was about to set foot within Ichiraku's however, Ayame's voice rang out "Naruto, your girlfriend stopped by. She's looking for you."

Naruto blushed a little bit, "Hinata-chan? Why's she looking for me?" He didn't think anything of it until he saw Ayame smiling at him; he hadn't denied Hinata being his girlfriend.

Ayame, still smiling, said "I don't know… maybe you should find out." The way she said it made Naruto blush, even if he didn't know why. Ayame always knew how to get under his skin.

Turning on the spot Naruto walked away from the shop. He knew the next place she'd check was Training Ground 7, it was his usual hangout when he wasn't devouring noodles. The whole time he thought to himself _Why's Hinata-chan looking for me?_

* * *

Just as Hinata was about to resume her search elsewhere she saw a shock of bright, blonde hair draw closer. Naruto quickly ran up to her with a questioning look on his face. "Hinata-chan, you wanted me for something?"

Hinata kept her composure as she nodded. "H-hai. I was wondering if y-you'd like some help d-decorating your apartment f-for Christmas."

Naruto looked surprised for a moment then let out a big grin. "Thanks Hinata-chan! That's really nice of you!"

Hinata gave a shy smile back, saying "I i-imagine that you don't h-have any decorations y-yet?"

Naruto shook his head, grin still in place. "Know anywhere we can get some?"

Hinata was proud that she hadn't been blushing, not that anything embarrassing had happened. She remembered some stores that Sakura had mentioned a while ago when her family was getting things. "H-hai."

"Alright! Let's go then!" At this point Naruto's stomach rumbled loudly. Scratching the back of his head Naruto spoke up again, "Although we should probably get something to eat first…"

"Th-there's this good b-barbeque place that w-we could go to." Hinata had avoided eating breakfast because she remembered Sakura's advice about Naruto's appetite. As for why the barbeque place… well, it couldn't be too healthy for Naruto to live off of ramen.

With a grin Naruto began to walk away from the training ground before remembering that Hinata was the one who knew the way there. Hinata quickly walked in front of him, leading the way to the restaurant.

Hinata looked back at Naruto and smirked. She had a good idea. She nonchalantly put her hands in her pockets and slowed down considerably. Naruto paused, confused, until he saw Hinata suddenly start running as fast as she could. Hinata didn't have to look back to know he was following; Naruto never turned down a challenge.

Hinata didn't really know what came over her, she just decided to run! She didn't know why because there was no reason; it was just completely spur of the moment… and she liked it. Being raised by a strict family that was all about proper high society behavior and stoicism, Hinata found it oddly liberating to do something rash and without a driving motive. When she was around Naruto she felt like she could just let loose and do whatever she felt like, and she planned to capitalize on that.

She heard Naruto's cries somewhere behind her. "I'm going to get you Hinata-chan!"

_Oh, it's a chase now is it?_

For a brief moment Hinata started to pick up a bit more speed until she came to a decision. It wasn't a decision she would have made normally, but her newfound sense of freedom had her thinking less and doing more. Hinata suddenly slowed down and felt Naruto practically tackle her from behind. As they hit the ground Hinata began to laugh before realizing that Naruto was now holding her in a practical bear hug in the center of the street. She began to blush furiously and told him quietly to let go, but as she made to speak he started laughing hard. Hearing his joyous laughter Hinata suddenly didn't care; she was with her Naruto-kun, having a good time.

* * *

Naruto knew that he wasn't the brightest person, but it didn't take long for him to realize what he was doing and blush. At first it had been playful, and his mind hadn't dwelled on anything, but now he realized that he was holding Hinata a bit too close… he just then noticed her more form fitting clothing. For a few seconds he was just surprised she wasn't wearing a parka or jacket, then the part of his brain Ero-Sennin had taught him about started to kick in. How had he never noticed how great her figure was?

_Damn it Ero-Sennin, I don't want to be a pervert like you! But… Hinata certainly 'filled out' a bit. How didn't I notice that since I got back?_

**Because you didn't know she loved you, kit. And you didn't start to love her back. **The Kyuubi's voice resounded through his head.

_What? I don't… love… Hinata… _Naruto could just picture the fox's grin; it was obviously a lie.

**Kit, don't lie to yourself.**

_Why do you even care? All you've done is make my life hell since the moment I was born._

The fox's voice sounded more menacing than usual. **Because kit, nothing incites rage and hatred like the loss of a loved one. As I see it, if you two get together it only increases my chance of getting free.**

_Awww, and I thought you were starting to like me._

**Quiet, kit. Besides, your mate's face is getting hotter than the sun with you holding her like that.**

* * *

As the laughter subsided Hinata became fully aware of how awkward their position was, and began to blush more than she could ever remember, except for possibly that time by the waterfall… Naruto was holding her close against his chest, his arms wrapped about her waist and his chin resting against the back of her head. She admonished herself for enjoying it as much as she did. _I shouldn't think about Naruto-kun like that! He'll think I'm perverted or something…_

She felt Naruto's chin move as he muttered "Stupid fox, Hinata's not my 'mate'." Naruto suddenly looked down at her, worry and embarrassment plain as day on his face. He quickly let go and helped her up, nervously letting go of her as soon as she was stable on her feet. He anxiously began scratching the back of his head.

"Sorry about that, Hinata-chan. I wasn't really thinking, and-"

"It's okay, Naruto-kun." They both looked to be in shock for a moment. She had just interrupted someone. _She_ had _interrupted _someone. And she hadn't stuttered.

"Um… maybe we should get to that barbeque place."

Hinata pointed to the building behind him. "I-it's right there, Naruto-k-kun."

Naruto seemed to visibly relax with the stutter, for some reason. They walked in and got a booth by the far wall, away from all the other villagers. Not that they were a problem anymore, if anything half of them seemed excited when Naruto walked by them. Hinata couldn't help but smile. _Naruto-kun finally has the recognition he always wanted._

After they sat down and placed their orders, a light salad and a 16 ounce steak, Hinata suddenly remembered something. "W-what was th-that about me b-being your m-mate?" She blushed bright red.

The look on Naruto's face seemed to Hinata to be somewhere between 'Oh kami, kill me now' and wanting to slam his head onto the table until he passed out. Then he looked frightened? "Hinata-chan… I kind of wanted to –needed to- talk to you about something… I don't really know how to put this, but… I'm the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune!" He winced as he said it, not wanting to see how she reacted.

Hinata just looked at him, a small smile finding its way onto her face. She was proud that he would tell her about it, not that it came as any surprise.

Naruto opened his eyes, confused. "You don't think I'm a monster? You're not even surprised?"

Hinata giggled slightly; Naruto was the number one knuckleheaded ninja for a reason, she supposed. "Naruto-kun, e-everyone knows. In th-the fight with Pein people s-saw you use the fox's ch-chakra; word spreads. And besides, I c-could never see you as a m-monster; you're my Naruto-kun w-whatever you have inside o-of you." Once she realized she had said 'my Naruto-kun' she began to blush and prayed as hard as she could that he didn't notice.

Apparently he didn't. "Wow, Hinata… I… thanks! Although I suppose you couldn't really hate whatever saved your village, demon or no…"

Hinata shook her head slightly, which Naruto thought was acquiescence to his point, before continuing. "N-naruto-kun, I knew about the fox b-before that. I o-overheard Iruka-sensei and K-kurenai-sensei talking about it one t-time."

"And you still didn't care… you really are something special, Hinata-chan."

Hinata blushed at the comment and was about to say something before the waiter came walking back in their direction. Hinata knew Naruto well enough to know that once there was food in front of him he was as responsive as a brick. After waiting a few minutes while Naruto ate his meal, Hinata asked the same question she had earlier. "W-what was that about m-me being your m-mate?"

Naruto looked like he would choke. "Well the, uh, fox started to call you, um, my mate…"

There was a brief awkward silence before Naruto spoke again. "So, Hinata, maybe we should get to know each other a bit more?"

_Kami! Is this going to be like a date? _Although outwardly Hinata didn't look any different her heart was racing now. "O-okay, Naruto-kun."

"What's your favorite food?"

"C-cinnamon buns. A-and yours is ramen."

Naruto and Hinata continued like this for some time, asking each other about whatever random thought popped into their head. Eventually Naruto accidentally brushed on a touchy subject for both of them. "What about your parents?"

Hinata winced. "K-kaa-sama died shortly after H-hanabi was born and Otou-sama and I… w-we never have gotten a-along very well. H-he has always told me I w-was weak, because I wasn't a-aggressive enough and I c-couldn't master the Juuken l-like Neji-nii-san."

Naruto looked mad –no, furious!- when he heard how her father treated her. "What! How can he call you weak? You are one of the nicest, most caring and strongest people I know! How could anyone not see that? I don't think there's another kunoichi in Konoha that could have stood up to Pein like you did, besides Baa-chan."

Hinata's blush grew deeper and deeper as Naruto went on, both from the compliments and the embarrassment that he was almost shouting. "A-arigato, Naruto-kun. Have you l-learned who your p-parents are?"

Naruto looked upset as she said it. "G-gomen, Naruto-kun, I didn't mean t-to –"

"No, Hinata-chan, it's fine. I'm just a little upset that I can't tell you. Tsunade-baa-chan asked me not to tell anyone after she came out of her coma."

"W-well, I'm glad that you finally know, even if you can't tell me."

* * *

As they left the restaurant, leaving the money for their meal on the table, Naruto had a lot on his mind. _She knew! She knew and she didn't care… she still wanted to be my friend… she still loved me… And she still is so supportive of others even though her father treats her bad; she's still happy and always keeps trying. I don't know how exactly things are going to turn out, but if nothing else Hinata is possibly my greatest friend… _

* * *

Hinata and Naruto walked side by side down the streets of Konoha, the former trying to remember the way to the store she wanted to reach while the latter was quietly thinking to himself. They didn't really have much to say as they walked, so Hinata just started to hum. She tended to do that when there weren't any pressing issues on her mind. They walked the rest of the way to their destination like that, no sound shared between them except Hinata's soft humming. Hinata didn't know the name of the tune, but her mother told her that it was all about the beauty of the winter and the snow, which still fell onto the ground.

Although it had only been a few minutes, it seemed as if it had been a very long time since they finished eating. It was pleasant, yet Hinata was relieved when she found the store, nudging Naruto's shoulder to get his attention.

"N-naruto-kun. We're here."

As realization dawned on the blonde shinobi his eyes suddenly lit up like a small child's. "Man, this is going to be great! Maybe this year I can actually get something other than a tree from the woods."

Hinata frowned slightly as she thought about Naruto's former mistreatment by the villagers, such as not being allowed in their stores, but she found herself being dragged by the arm through the glass doors of the building and into the large room beyond.

Naruto ran through the different aisles of the store, gazing at all of the different decorations that adorned them. Garland, tinsel, wreaths of all size… and out of the corner of her eye Hinata saw sprigs of mistletoe. With a blush on her face she took a deep breath, saying "Naruto-kun, h-how about you go get s-some stuff for the tree. I have to d-do something real quick."

As Naruto nodded and ran farther into the store, Hinata slowly inched toward the mistletoe. _What am I going to do with that? There's no way Naruto-kun wouldn't notice it, and I don't think I'm brave enough to go through with it… No! I have to try and be brave. If I can face the leader of the Akatsuki then I can kiss Naruto-kun!_ Her face grew extremely bright as she thought that, and her knees felt a bit weak but she just slowly grabbed the mistletoe and held it tight. _But what if he thinks I'm being too pushy and- No! No, no, no! Don't think about it, thinking's what made you take this long to tell him!_ _Maybe this is like that 'inner self' Sakura-chan always talks about… _

Hinata vigorously shook her head to clear her thoughts before running after Naruto. As she rounded a corner she couldn't help but laugh at what she saw; Naruto sat on the ground, entwined in large strands of garland that wrapped around him repeatedly. Naruto just sat there and grinned at her stupidly. She set about freeing him from his festive trap, and couldn't help but smile to herself when he blushed if she touched him. _At least I'm not the only one blushing about this._ Of course she'd seen him blush before, but something about this seemed different; like it was a blush less from embarrassment and more from something else…

After he was free Naruto yet again dragged her through the store, asking her advice as he carried an ever-growing pile of decorations. Hinata couldn't help but feel excited as well at Naruto's eagerness, it was contagious. She smiled along with him as they paid, and walked alongside to his apartment._ This has been really fun! I'm glad that I've been spending the day with Naruto-kun!_ Hinata's confidence lasted up to the point where Naruto unlocked the door and invited her inside her home.

Naruto carefully set the bundles in his arms onto the ground, saying "Sorry if it's a bit messy, I wasn't really planning on someone coming over…"

A bit messy was a vast understatement; Hinata swore she saw no less than fifty empty ramen cups littering the floor around Naruto's couch, as well as other trash and dirty clothes which carpeted the living room. _How can Naruto-kun live in this! Something has to be done about it…_

"N-naruto-kun, we're going to clean your apartment, r-right now!"

"Hinata, you don't have to do anything, it's not your place after all…"

"N-no, I want to help. B-besides, I don't want to be mean Naruto-kun, but you are n-not the neatest person."

Naruto laughed but didn't deny it; he couldn't say that he was while keeping a straight face. "Okay, Hinata-chan. You win."

Hinata took a few steps forward and began to pick up the trash that littered the floor, creating a large pile to transfer into a bag. She flinched involuntarily as she was nearly deafened by a loud shout of "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" In no time the place was clean, and the clones dismissed.

"Hinata-chan, I'm going to go change my clothes real quick. Could you start putting up the decorations?"

_Why does Naruto-kun need to change? _"O-okay, Naruto-kun." Naruto took off his jacket and turned to head into his bedroom. As he did so she saw a huge stain of barbeque sauce on his shirt. _Naruto-kun, you must be one of the messiest people I know… _

As she leaned over to start grabbing the decorations Hinata suddenly remembered what she had bought separately. _I suppose this is my best chance._ With a light blush Hinata took the sprig of mistletoe and hung it above the door. Smirking to herself she then went about doing what Naruto had asked of her; stringing lights around the room, hanging up wreaths. _I wonder what's taking Naruto-kun so long._

After she put up the last wreath and finished stringing the lights she heard a door open and turned around to see Naruto step towards her. It looked like he had washed his face, and his clothes were much nicer than before. "Hey, Hinata-chan… sorry that I took so long just after I change I thought I should wash up a bit and the door got stuck and-"

"Y-you look handsome, Naruto-kun."

He grinned with a blush on his cheeks. "Arigato, Hinata-chan. Actually, Hinata-chan, I still need to get a tree… maybe you could just relax and watch a movie or something?"

"S-sure, Naruto-kun."

"Great! I'll be back in a little while." He hurried out the door which he slammed shut behind him, never noticing the small branch hanging above his head.

Hinata sat on Naruto's couch, a random movie playing in the background, but her mind was on other things. _This is going really well! I think I'm actually getting through to him! But what can I do to surprise him… _an image of her in lingerie flashed through her mind. _No! There is no way I'm doing that! _She blushed, but since no one was around it didn't bother her too much.

While she kept thinking of nice things she could do for Naruto she unconsciously wandered over to his fridge, which she discovered to contain nothing but instant ramen. _Does Naruto-kun never eat a real meal at home? Wait… that's it!_

Like Naruto she hurried out the door, heading to the nearest marketplace to buy food. _I hope Naruto-kun likes fish… and maybe I should make some cinnamon buns. _Moving as fast as she could Hinata set about grabbing the different ingredients, quickly handing the money to pay for them and running off without waiting for change.

She arrived back at Naruto's apartment –he luckily hadn't returned- and immediately started cooking. _I hope Naruto-kun likes the food. "The fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach." And in Naruto-kun's case, the fastest way to save a man's heart is to feed him something other than ramen._ Moving with confidence she had nowhere besides the kitchen Hinata set about preparing everything for the blonde jinchuuriki's inevitable return. With confidence in her heart and no one within earshot Hinata started singing as she worked.

"_I really can't stay, I've got to go away, This evening has been, so very nice"_

"_My mother will start to worry, My father will be pacing the floor, So really I'd better scurry, Well maybe just a half a drink more"_

"_The neighbors might think, Say what's in this drink, I wish I knew how, to break the spell"_

"_I ought to say no no no sir, At least I'm gonna say that I tried, I really can't stay"_

Suddenly a deeper voice joined hers as she sang the next line, "_Ah, but it's cold outside"_

Hinata quickly turned around to see a pair of brilliant blue eyes looking at her around the top of a small tree. She hadn't heard the door over her own voice. "N-naruto-kun! I d-didn't know th-that you were th-there!" Her cheeks were as bright as the lights strung up around the apartment.

"You have a really nice voice Hinata-chan, although why sing a duet piece?"

"A-arigato. I just thought th-that song was a-appropriate."

Shivering, Naruto said "I suppose you're right about that." He sniffed the air before his eyes came to rest on the ingredients scattered about his small kitchen. "Hinata-chan, were you cooking dinner for us?"

"Hai. Do you like f-fish? If not I c-can go get something else-"

"Fish sounds great! Now, how about we put the tree up while the food cooks?"

With Hinata's help he had put up the tree, which now stood in the far corner of his livin

* * *

g room, and Hinata had immediately set to decorating. Naruto felt a bit guilty as he just watched her decorate, and bit angry at Ero-Sennin since the reason was the he just wanted to watch her. _I really hope Hinata doesn't go back to wearing baggy jackets- No! Bad Ero-sennin! Hinata-chan's a nice person, I shouldn't think about her like that. It's disrespectful to just ogle someone._

Naruto joined Hinata in decorating, carefully avoiding looking at her to try and prevent any dirty thoughts from reaching the front of his mind. Instead he thought about the food. _That smells really good! Hinata-chan's a great cook; she'd make a great wife! For someone else, I mean…_

**Kit, you know that thought wasn't really accidental. You didn't mean for someone else.**

_Stupid fox, shut up! Okay, maybe I was thinking that I might ask her out, but marriage? It's way too soon to even think about that!_

**Is it, kit? You've known the girl for most of your life, and she's loved you for almost as long as she's known you even if you were too stupid to notice Not to mention that since your sixteenth birthday has passed you're officially an adult. **

_I might value your opinion more if you hadn't said that you wanted us together to; A. 'get me to stop whining about being lonely' and B. to increase your chances of getting out._

Naruto felt a small nudge on his arm and he looked over to see a concerned Hinata looking at him with her large, lavender eyes. "Naruto-kun, a-are you okay? You s-suddenly looked upset."

**Think about what I said, kit.**

"Yeah, Hinata-chan, I'm okay. Thanks for asking."

* * *

The two Konoha shinobi finally placed the final decorations on the tree when a timer sounded, indicating that the meal was finished cooking. They hurriedly took their seats; Naruto because he was hungry as always, and Hinata because she wanted to see Naruto's first impression of the food. Neither was disappointed. Suffice to say the fish was gone in short order and half the cinnamon buns gone in a matter of minutes, courtesy of Naruto's voracious appetite.

Hinata would have tried to talk to him if food wasn't being shoved in his mouth every time it opened. He had a serious look on his face; or at least as serious as possible with cheeks bulging from a mass of food. What was he thinking about? Hinata finished her meal a few minutes after Naruto, who was now clearing the table and haphazardly setting the dishes aside to be washed. As they sat there in awkward silence for a seemingly unbearable amount of time Hinata decided that she should probably leave. Looking outside she could see that the sun was beginning to set; how late was it?

"S-sayonara, Naruto-kun. I had a fun t-time today, and I'm glad I g-got to help you decorate." She made her way over to the door, beginning to exit the blonde's apartment with a look of disappointment on her face, when she felt a restraining hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see the blue-eyed Gennin looking at her nervously.

"Hinata-chan, I was wondering, um… if maybe you would like to, um, go out with me?"

_Oh, kami! Is he actually asking me out? I really hope this isn't just a dream. _She felt her heart racing and everything around her started to black out as the blood rushed to her cheeks. _Please don't faint, please don't faint!_

"I've been thinking recently, and I think that I might feel the same way about you that you do me… I was thinking that maybe we should see how things work out , you know?"

"H-hai, N-naruto-kun. I w-would love to g-go on a date w-with you."

"How about tomorrow?"

"S-sure."

"Sayonara, Hinata-chan!" Naruto said, as he started to close the door. Hinata, looking up and praying that she wouldn't wake up when the door closed, noticed the small sprig of mistletoe she had placed up there. "Um… N-naruto-kun." She pointed up at the small plant so Naruto would notice.

"Huh… Hinata-chan when did you put that there?"

"I-I, um… I-"

"Well, when you're caught under the mistletoe…" Naruto grinned as he said it, then started to lean closer.

_Oh, please, please, please don't let this be a dream!_

Hinata was as red as a tomato but she also started to lean in closer, her eyes closing in anticipation. After what seemed an agonizing eternity their lips brushed against each other before the kissed deepened. It was a light kiss, but it quickly deepened. Hinata's toes curled as she cherished the moment. Eventually they drew back, breathing heavily.

_Thank you, whatever voice convinced me to buy that._

Naruto was smiling as he looked at Hinata. "If every night ends like this I might have to keep that there."

Hinata's voice was soft from both affection and lightheadedness as she said "Oyasumi, Naruto-kun."

As the door closed behind her Hinata heard the energetic reply "Oyasumi, Hinata-chan."

Hinata wandered toward the Hyuuga compound in a blissful daze. _Naruto-kun kissed me! And we have a date tomorrow! Could this day have ended any better?_ Hinata felt a strong hand on her shoulder and instinctively fell into a proper fighting stance. She immediately faced her assailant, preparing to launch several Juuken strikes before realizing that it was only Sakura.

"Oi, S-sakura-chan."

Sakura was grinning, ever eager to hear how her plan unfolded. "So, Hinata-chan, how did Day 1 of the mission go?"

Hinata couldn't keep her excitement contained. A huge smile broke out on her face and her voice raised at least an octave. "Naruto-kun and I h-have a date t-tomorrow!"

"That's great!"

"And, as I l-left… we k-kissed!"

"I'm glad to see everything worked out perfectly."

"I th-think I might need your h-help to get ready."

Sakura thought for a moment before saying, "If anything, the baka probably needs more help than you do. Maybe I can convince Kakashi-sensei to help him… if that'd be much, that is. He'd probably just have him read those awful books of his…"

"C-could you come by the compound at eleven?"

"Sure, Hinata-chan."

"Arigato. Sayonara, S-sakura-chan!"

Hinata walked the rest of the way home deep in thought as to what they should do on their date, and what she would wear. _I should let Naruto-kun decide. Anywhere is good if he's there, and I want him to find a place that's comfortable for him. _

Hinata entered the compound, not noticing Hanabi round a corner and walk straight into her. Being trained kunoichi the two of them kept their balance, yet Hinata was suddenly returned to the outside world and the curious gaze of her sister.

"Onee-chan, what were you thinking about?" The Hyuuga prodigy was, as always, interested in her older sisters affairs.

"Oh, I'm j-just thinking about something I h-have to do tomorrow, Imouto."

"Hinata-nee-chan, I found out yesterday so why bother having me pry it out this time?"

Hanabi was always kind, but sometimes she didn't realize how potentially rude or arrogant the things she said were. She was right though; if Hanabi wanted to find something out, she would eventually. "Tomorrow I h-have a date planned with Naruto-kun."

"Hinata-nee-chan! That's great! Where are you going? What are you going to wear?"

"I d-don't know, Hanabi-chan. Maybe tomorrow m-morning you can help me out after t-training."

"Sure thing, Onee-chan!"

"Now, I am going to take a b-bath, and go to bed. Oyasumi, Hanabi-chan."

That night Hyuuga Hinata went to bed happier than she could remember in a long time.

* * *

Naruto lay alone in his bed, reflecting on the events of the day and what was going to happen tomorrow. _Hinata-chan really is great… I just think we should try and see how things go between us before we start officially 'dating'… But that kiss, wow! I'm a little surprised that Hinata –Hinata!- would secretly hang mistletoe above the door. I can't complain though._

That night, Uzumaki Naruto went to bed, dreaming of something other than ramen and with an entirely different taste on his lips.

* * *

**Okay! That's chapter two of Hinata-chan's Konohagakure Christmas! I hope you like it!**

**In some parts I thought that maybe it dragged on a bit, but all-in-all I like how it came out. And with the impending date how will that change up Sakura's plan?**

**Again, I'm just a white guy who likes foreign language so if you find mistakes please tell me so I can correct them. **

**And although I'm open to criticism, I would appreciate not getting flamed. Unless it helps me as a writer or encourages what I'm doing, I think I'd prefer you don't post a review. **

**The big date in chapter three should be done within a week.**


	3. Day 2 Dinner with the Hyuugas

**Sorry that it took so long to update! I would have had it up a week ago but I had a trip to Gen-Con in Indianapolis, so I had to spend time packing. Although at the convention, I did see costumes of a lot of Naruto characters. Naruto, Sakura, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Iruka… also I saw many Akatsuki robes about the place. I was very disappointed to not see Hinata, though.**

**Anyway, here's chapter three!**

* * *

The sun rose over the Konohagakure no Sato, for the first time in days shining through the pall of clouds that had covered the sky above the Hidden Village. The sunlight bathed the buildings and streets of Konoha, the brightness illuminating the fallen snow that littered the ground. The sunlight also served to wake one Hyuuga Hinata, who stretched languorously beneath the covers of her bed.

She slowly blinked her eyes, a smile finding its way to her lips. After years of watching from afar she was finally going on a date with the man she loved. "Naruto-kun… hopefully the years of waiting have paid off."

She calmly stood up, a feeling of contentment and bliss filling her and clearing her mind of all troubles. She took a few steps toward her closet but stopped herself. _Imouto seemed to really want to help… maybe I can wait for her to be up and about._ Not caring if it was improper Hinata decided to head down to breakfast in her sleepwear. She opened the door and almost walked straight into the waiting form of the clan head, Hyuuga Hiashi.

"Hinata, I wish to speak with you."

"Hai, Otou-sama." She stepped aside to give her father entry to her room, not noticing the strange look on his face from the lack of her stutter.

Hiashi, regaining his noble composure, walked into his daughter's room before turning to speak with her. "Hinata, it has come to my attention that you are planning to go out on a date this evening."

"Hai, Otou-sama."

"Who is the young man?"

Hinata felt happiness and pride as she said "Uzumaki Naruto."

Hiashi grunted. "Hn. Although I would at first have forbid you to see him, as he is now Konoha's young hero I shall give him one chance. He will dine with us this evening."

"Otou-sama, don't you think that it might be too early to invite him into our home? I think it is too soon to have him be forced to deal with the clan elders."

To Hinata's great surprise Hiashi actually chuckled. _Otou-sama never laughs… _"Well musume, I agree with you about not forcing the elders on the boy. I would ask him to dine with you, Hanabi, Neji and I."

_Why is father being so kind? _"Very well, Otou-sama."

"Yes, I wish to personally evaluate if this boy is good enough to date my daughter. I would not let someone below my standards touch you, Hero of Konoha or no."

Hiashi looked over, noticing her confusion. He let out a heavy sigh and a sad look crossed his face. "Hinata, I know that I have never been the greatest father, and that I have paid far more attention to Hanabi than I have you. After your mother died I vowed to keep the clan strong, and I fear that I pushed you too hard. And then I gave up on you because I believed you were weak, which I recently have come to realize is far from the truth." Hinata's mouth was gaping in disbelief, and it was obvious she was trying to fight down tears. "I thought that your caring would make you to soft to carry out clan matters, that it would make you back down when you needed to be tough. Now I realize that it can drive you to do incredible things. Standing up to Pein with no hope of victory, although foolhardy, required much courage and strength. I'm very proud of you."

As Hinata heard the words she had wished to hear her entire life, the flood gates opened and tears poured forth as she lovingly embraced her father. Hiashi was a bit surprised, but he lightly returned the embrace before excusing himself. "I must go and attend clan matters, musume, but I await your date's arrival for dinner."

Within seconds of her father leaving Hanabi bounded through the door, smiling at her still teary-eyed sister. "I heard everything Otou-sama said! I'm happy for you Onee-chan. Also, you didn't stutter once! Maybe Naruto-san is already having a good influence."

_She's right, I didn't stutter! _

"Now Hinata-nee-chan, let's pick out clothes for your date!"

Hinata smiled. Even though she was training to become a shinobi, Hanabi was still a ten year old girl; and what ten year old girl didn't like picking out clothes and outfits? "Okay, Hanabi-chan."

Nearly the next half hour was spent trying to pick out an outfit and Hinata loved every minute of it. She liked to spend time with her sister, and more than anything she was glad to see the happy expression on Hanabi's face. Because of her grueling training and studying to become a Gennin didn't have much time to be a child, so it was nice for Hanabi to not have to act proper and relax.

Eventually they reached what Hanabi considered the perfect outfit, which Hinata quickly changed into in her bathroom. It was a lavender silk komon kimono, tied off with a dark purple obi. It was covered in small floral designs of slightly darker lavender, which faintly stood out against the background. She stepped out to see her grinning younger sister.

"You look great, Onee-chan! I'm sure you'll make Naruto-san's eyes pop out of his head! You look like the Hyuuga heiress should."

"What? Hanabi-chan, Otou-sama told the Elders that you were to be heiress."

"Earlier I heard father debating with them about why he planned to officially denote you as future Clan Head. I think that's what he meant when he said clan matters."

_Really? Either I never woke up or someone, somewhere is finally looking out for me. _"Well, Imouto, you certainly have an eye for clothing."

"Thanks, Onee-chan."

Hinata looked at the clock, which read ten thirty. "Okay Hanabi, I'm going to quickly take a shower. Once I have my clothes back on I want you to help me put on some makeup, okay?"

"Onee-chan? You never wear makeup… you look fine without it, I promise."

"Thanks. Oh, and could you wait to see if Sakura-chan arrives? She was going to help me get ready but since you already helped I'll just tell her that she can go."

Hanabi nodded and walked out of the room. For a moment she poked her head back in to say "You know, Hinata-nee-chan, you have a nice voice now that you're not stuttering" before quickly leaving again.

Hinata did as she had said, quickly taking a relaxing, warm shower before putting back on her kimono. _I hope Naruto-kun likes it. _Hinata then left her room, and made to exit the compound when she came across a certain pink-haired medic-nin.

Sakura's eyes widened temporarily. "Hinata-chan, that is going to drive the baka wild."

Hinata blushed slightly. "Arigato, Sakura-chan. Do you know where Naruto-kun is?"

"Hinata… you didn't stutter!"

"Hai. It's just that… everything seems like it's finally going right. The villagers finally recognize Naruto-kun for who he is, I finally have a date with him, I finally feel like I am strong enough… I guess it just gave me the confidence boost I needed."

"Well, I'm sure the new confident you will just blow the knucklehead away! Last I knew he was down at Ichiraku's scarfing down his first bowl. If you hurry you might see him before he finishes his twenty-fifth." She smirked as she thought of her teammate's ridiculous appetite. He was almost as bad as Choji

"Arigato. Ja ne, Sakura-chan."

Hinata ran past the pinkette and toward her crush's favorite hangout. _I really have to tell Naruto-kun about Otou-sama's decision. I'll probably have to take him clothes shopping then teach him about etiquette… what a great first date. _But even as she thought about the less-than-savory events that were going to make up her first date, Hinata still smiled because it was a date with her Naruto-kun. _If Naruto-kun pulls this off we'll have Otou-sama's permission, and that should definitely make things easier!_

She wasn't going as fast as she would have liked since she didn't want to ruin the kimono, but she still reached the ramen stand in time to hear Teuchi yell "Ja ne, Naruto!" As Hinata saw a flash of blonde hair she quickly walked over to intercept.

"N-naruto-kun," _Ugh! I thought I had got over the stuttering finally! I will not stutter again! _"Otou-sama has requested that you join my family for dinner this evening." _Victory!_

"No 'konichiwa, Naruto-kun?'"

_Stupid, stupid, stupid. I didn't even say hello! Now he must think I'm rude… _"Gomen, Naruto-kun. I didn't mean to-"

"I'm joking, Hinata-chan. It's not a big deal." He looked thoughtful for a moment, oblivious to the bits of ramen stuck on his chin. "So your old man is inviting me over, huh? Now I can give that teme a piece of my mind for calling you weak and making you always second-guess yourself!"

The conviction, caring and protectiveness in his voice made Hinata smile, even if he had called her father a teme. _I suppose maybe Naruto-kun really does care… _She blushed just the slightest amount. "Naruto-kun, although I'm touched I really want you to get along with Otou-sama."

"Why? You said yourself that he always put you down, and even I can figure out that that's where you got your low self-esteem."

_I hadn't actually thought that Naruto-kun would think that much about it. _"Well, this morning Otou-sama came and apologized for the way he's treated me. He admitted that he was wrong about me and Hanabi-chan said that he was making me Clan Heiress again."

"Hinata-chan, that's great! Now I might not have to Rasengan him and show him he's wrong."

Naruto stepped forward and gave Hinata a hug. She didn't understand why but she wasn't going to complain, she just snuggled further into the warm embrace. They stood like that for some time, until they heard a slight cough a couple feet away. They broke apart and looked at the amused faces of Tenten and Ino.

Naruto's fellow blonde spoke up first. "Naruto, I'm shocked! I never figured you for a PDA knd of guy." Seeing the horribly confused look on Naruto's face as he tried to figure out what 'PDA' meant she interjected. "Public display of affection."

Tenten spoke up before Ino could, the latter looking annoyed that Naruto had to figure out what exactly that meant. "So, Naruto, looks to me that you finally figured out what was right in front of you."

Naruto, having at some point figured out what Ino meant and lightly blushing alongside his lavender-eyed companion, laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Nah, Hinata-chan still had to practically spell it out in black and white when she fought Pein."

Ino and Tenten seemed a bit surprised, although they hid it well. They had heard about Hinata attacking the Akatsuki leader, but hadn't heard about what she said to Naruto. "So, since I'm sure Tenten-chan's thinking the same thing, do you two have a date or something?"

Hinata responded with a large, Naruto-ish grin. "Hai."

"Hinata-chan, that's great!"

"If you could excuse us, I need to take Naruto-kun to get some nicer clothes. Sayonara, Tenten, Ino-chan."

She wrapped her arm around Naruto's and gently started to pull him in the direction of a nearby clothing store. _Wait, what if Naruto thinks I'm being too pushy? _She looked over afraid that Naruto would be annoyed, yet instead she saw him with a goofy smile. He looked over and for just a brief moment they stared into each other's eyes. Hinata blushed while Naruto just grinned even more. Hinata then felt Naruto's fingers interlock with hers. _Naruto-kun's holding my hand!_

"So, Hinata-chan, anything I should know about what to do tonight?"

"Well, if you're going to impress Otou-sama then I'm going to have to show you how sit and eat properly."

Naruto resignedly sighed. "Well, I guess I'll have to learn it sooner or later for when I become Hokage."

_I don't know, Naruto-kun really doesn't seem to like the idea of having to learn that stuff… but he has to impress Otou-sama or else I might be forbidden to date him! No, wait, that sounds selfish. I shouldn't force Naruto-kun to do something he doesn't want to just so he can impress my family. No matter what Otou-sama says I'm going to date Naruto-kun. Besides, I'm sure Naruto-kun could impress Otou-sama by being himself._ Hinata nodded before speaking. "You know what Naruto-kun? I'm sure you'll do fine just being yourself, I'm not going to force you to learn about etiquette."

Naruto smiled then was about to open his mouth as Hinata interjected. "But you are getting new clothes."

"Wow, Hinata, I like it when you're forceful."

"Arigato." Okay, she may have gotten past the stuttering with her newfound confidence, but the blushing was still an issue.

"Wait! Hinata, I just realized that you haven't been stuttering! That's great!"

Hinata sighed exasperatedly, but in her eyes you could see she was amused. _He wouldn't be my Naruto-kun if he figured things out quickly, besides new Jutsus. _"Naruto-kun, we're here."

They both looked around the store, which was packed with clothes of all types. Naruto began walking towards the aisles of ninja gear, but Hinata turned him about so that he was instead heading into the dress wear department. Immediately Naruto spotted and gazed longingly at a bright orange kimono style shirt. His eyes went back and forth between the garish clothing and Hinata, who was simply shaking her head. Instead Hinata held out a black shirt in the same style as the orange one, and a pair of light grey slacks.

As Naruto trudged to the changing rooms Hinata started looking at other possible acceptable outfits. She had found three that contained no trace of orange when she saw Naruto walk out. "Naruto-kun, you look great!"

"Not as great as you." Naruto shot her the best flirtatious grin he could.

Hinata blushed profusely. She wasn't that used to compliments. "Arigato."

"I would have said something about your clothes earlier, except I was too distracted by your beautiful face."

"Arigato." She put two of the outfits back where she found them but kept one of them with her. He'd need something for the Christmas party tomorrow.

"When are we supposed to eat at the Hyuuga compound?"

"In a few hours."

"Well then, how about we just go for a walk?"

* * *

As Naruto led Hinata down the twisting roads of Konoha, her head resting lightly against his shoulder, he was grinning from ear to ear. _Man! I'll have to thank Shikamaru and Kiba for the advice. Shikamaru especially. If it hadn't been for them I'd have no idea what to say."Flattery will get you everywhere." I mean, I'm not just trying to be flirty –I like Hinata-chan a lot, and I mean what I say- but the guy's help is much appreciated._

As they continued to walk in comfortable silence Naruto just kept on thinking. _Hinata is such a great person. I can't believe that I never noticed her! Well, Kakashi-sensei, I guess I failed your lessons about looking underneath the underneath. Although I suppose that doesn't really apply seeing as how obvious it was to everyone… _

_I suppose Ero-sennin is proud that I finally got a girl, wherever he is. _He managed to keep the frown from showing on his face. Thinking of his late teacher always had a negative effect on his mood. Hoping not to ruin the precious moment, Naruto cleared his mind and simply enjoyed the presence of the young woman clasping his arm and hand.

* * *

"Naruto-kun?"

"Hai?"

"Gomen."

Naruto looked confused. "What for?"

"For never standing up to all of the villagers when they would glare at you, or kick you out of their shops."

He seemed touched, but also irritated. "Hinata-chan, don't blame yourself for something that isn't your responsibility! The fact that you wish you could have means just as much. If anything I should be apologizing for being a knucklehead!"

Hinata didn't respond, instead she simply leaned against him even more. _Oh, Naruto-kun. You don't need to be sorry, because the waiting was worth it._

They didn't speak again until the sun started falling lower in the sky and the time of Naruto's imminent dinner with Hyuuga Hiashi drew closer. Even then the only words shared were to indicate that it was almost time to head to the compound. The silence wasn't born of tension or awkwardness; the two were simply so comfortable in each other's presence that nothing needed to be said.

Hand in hand, mouths sealed, the new couple slowly walked to the gate of the elaborate mansion. With a quick nod to the guard from Hinata the two walked up to and through the door. Hinata thought she saw Hanabi watching them but simply ignored it. It wouldn't really matter if Hanabi watched them enter; what difference would that make? She plastered a serene calmness on her face, as was suspected of a Hyuuga, but looked over to see a very irate-looking Naruto with killer intent practically radiating from him in waves. She followed his line of vision to the object of his loathing; Hyuuga Hiashi.

"Uzumaki-san, I would like for you to explain why you appear to want to assault me in my home."

_And I had thought that Naruto-kun would be civil… but maybe it's better if he gets his thoughts off his chest. At the worst I'll have to try and hide our relationship from Otou-sama._

"I'm having trouble being calm around the teme that made Hinata-chan an extremely shy, unconfident wreck who couldn't see her own talent when others did."

_He thought I was an unconfident wreck? But he said I was talented… maybe I should just ignore that instead of trying to figure it out. I'm sure Naruto-kun was being nice in his own way._

Hiashi would look passive to most, but in his eyes were filled with fury… and some respect? "It takes much nerve to speak as such to someone of my standing, in his own compound no less."

"If I didn't have the nerve to speak up to the baka yarou who ruined my girlfriend's childhood I wouldn't deserve her."

Hinata thought almost simultaneously _Naruto-kun just insulted my father twice _and _Naruto-kun just called me his girlfriend._

For a moment Hinata thought that Hiashi would strike Naruto, but instead the older man nodded respectfully. "You are a brave person, Naruto-san, and your concern for my musume is touching. I might have attacked you had I not agreed with you."

Apparently Naruto remembered everything Hiashi had done earlier, as relayed by Hinata, because he simply grinned. "I am glad to see that the Hyuuga are not as cold and emotionless as they seem, Hiashi-sama. There's much to be said of a man who doesn't make mistakes. There's more to be said of a man who can own up to those he makes."

Hinata was staring wide-eyed at the blonde. _That's the most respectful, wise thing I've ever heard Naruto-kun say! Maybe Jiraiya-sama wasn't too much of a bad influence after all. I think Otou-sama might actually be starting to like Naruto-kun. _

"And I am glad to see that you have the strength to stand up for Hinata, Naruto-san. Although I shall take vengeance for being called a 'teme' and a 'baka yarou', and although you have much to learn about respect," He was still somewhat mad at the younger man, despite his recent change of heart, "I give you permission to date the Heiress of my clan."

_So I'm officially Heiress?_

Hiashi, almost knowing what his daughter was thinking, elaborated. "In light of your recent determination in fighting Pein and your apparently increased skills the Clan Elders have agreed to have you reinstated as the next clan leader.'

"Arigato, Otou-sama."

"Do not thank me for your own accomplishments, Hinata. Now, I believe that dinner is ready, if you would follow me to the dining hall."

Hiashi turned with grace and slowly headed down the halls behind him. Hinata and Naruto made to follow him when Hanabi came up from somewhere behind them and slapped Naruto.

"Ow!"

"That's for insulting my Otou-sama!" She then gave him a quick hug, before pulling back. "And that's for standing up for my Onee-chan."

Naruto, still interpreting what just happened, stood there dumbly for a moment before smiling happily. "Any time."

"I'm glad that Hinata-chan found someone to fight for-"

"I meant for either of those." His smile turned mischievous as the Hyuuga sisters rolled their eyes at his antics.

The small group then made to follow the elder Hyuuga, at some point being joined by Neji. The Branch Family member looked at Naruto with a look of disbelief, most likely stemming from his earlier confrontation. They were silent as they walked, not saying a word as they neared their destination. Just then it finally registered that Hiashi had approved of Naruto; she had been too caught up on being acknowledged as Heiress for it to do so earlier.

_Yes! Kami, these last few days have been the greatest of my life and things look uphill from here. Okay, Hinata, don't get too excited. Dating someone and loving them are entirely different; you still have to get Naruto the go from the former to the latter. I know he thinks of me like a friend and maybe more, but I must do my best to be 'definitely' more._

They entered the hall to find Hiashi sitting in front of a full platter of food, two empty seats to both his left and right. Naruto and Hinata made to sit next to each other when Hiashi cleared his throat to interrupt. "Naruto-san, I ask that you sit away from my musume for the meal. This is for the rest of us to evaluate you. You may have proven determined enough to deserve her, yet that does not mean that we as a family must like you. Now please, come sit next to Hanabi-chan instead."

Hanabi sat directly to the left of Hiashi and Hinata to his right. Neji then sat next to Hinata and Naruto across from him. Hiashi again spoke up, "Now, let us eat as we learn more of our guest."

* * *

Naruto dug into the food before him as fast as he could, devouring platefuls of food in mere moments. Finishing his third plate of dango he looked to his right and saw Hanabi watching him with a raised eyebrow. He would have thought her disgusted or insulted had he not noticed the slight smile on her lips. He didn't have to look, however, to feel the disapproval from Neji and Hiashi. He just began to chew slower. After he finished his dango he decided to stop eating temporarily and try to talk to the people around the table. He was really going to have to try to not offend someone…

* * *

"So, Neji-san, I'm glad to see you've gotten over your whole emo, 'fate rules everything' crap."

Hinata rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress her giggling. _I don't think Naruto knows how to mince his words._

Hiashi glared a bit, but relented as he noticed Neji's lack of anger. "Indeed, Naruto-san. Although it may have taken a… humbling… defeat to make me learn that lesson, I am grateful none the less that I was shown the error of my ways. It has made me appreciate those around me, to view them in a new light."

"I guess I must have hit you a lot harder than I thought to make you turn a whole one-eighty!"

"Hn. If that is what you wish to believe."

"Aww, come on Neji-san! I was just joking! You may be the big cold tough guy but I can tell that you're a softy at heart!"

Hinata was beginning to laugh at her cousin's expense, noticing Hanabi following suite (suit?).

"Is that so, Naruto-san?"

"Yeah! I bet you like to go around helping old ladies cross the street and buying kids ice cream."

"As a shinobi of the Leaf I must protect the citizens of the village, however I do not go around helping every nameless person with their trivial affairs!"

"Wow, Neji-san, learn to take a joke!"

Naruto joined the two girls in laughing, and to Hinata even Hiashi had come to appreciate the antics of the energetic blonde boy.

"Naruto-san, I can't eat if I am being made to laugh constantly" Hanabi said, smiling as she did so.

"Hanabi-san, I don't think I know what you mean! I obviously couldn't force someone to do something!"

"Oh really?"

The remainder of the meal continued much the same; Naruto cracking jokes whenever he could, often unintentionally. Most of the time Naruto was just bluntly stating his opinions, but that was part of why Hinata loved him. He didn't have to try to make you like him, he was great as himself.

Eventually they were dismissed from the table, Hiashi mulling over the day's events, and Hinata led Naruto to the gates of the compound. The sun was set by now, the newly risen moon casting a soft light over everything. Naruto turned around to face her before he made to leave. He took her hands in his (which caused the Hyuuga Heiress to blush) and gazed into her eyes.

"Hinata-chan, I'm glad that I got to spend this time with you."

"I know that it wasn't the most ideal date but-"

"It doesn't matter what we were doing, I was with you and I was having a great time."

"Oh, Naruto-kun!" she sighed.

They both leaned forward, eyes closing, until their lips locked. It was a soft, chaste kiss yet it had none of the nervousness that there had been when they kissed the day before. Naruto pulled back, whispering, "Good night, Hinata-chan."

Before he could go Hinata remembered the next part of Sakura's plan; Sakura's amazing, brilliant, wonderful plan. "Naruto-kun, don't forget to dress well tomorrow!"

"Why?"

"Didn't Sakura-chan tell you about the Christmas Party?"

"Oh, right! She said the party's at eight, so I can pick you up about seven thirty?"

"Hai."

"Besides, if they all gather in one place, it'll be easier to tell everyone about us! Although with Ino-san's ability to keep things to herself they probably already know…"

Chuckling at her blonde-haired boyfriend the kunoichi gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good night, Naruto-kun." He grinned and sprinted off into the night.

Hinata turned around to see the somewhat disgusted-looking face of a ten year old watching her. "I really don't see why you like that kissing stuff. I mean, Naruto-san's funny but I can't imagine how gross it is to have someone's mouth touching yours like that." Hanabi began miming someone gagging or throwing up.

"Hanabi-chan, I'm sure one day you'll find a boy you like." _Ah, the legendary 'Boys are nasty' phase._

"All of the boys my age are… well… they're gross!"

"Oh Imouto, I'm sure there has to be some boy that you tolerate!"

Hanabi shook her head adamantly and then, using a tone that implied she was explaining the simplest thing in the world, drawled "Boys. Are. Gross."

Shaking her head in bemusement Hinata led her sister back into the compound. _I wonder if I could dance with Naruto-kun at the party…_

Naruto sat outside of his small apartment for a long while, musing over the events of the past three days. Things just seemed as if they were going so fast! Two days ago Hinata was his close friend and today he ate dinner with his new girlfriend's family. _How the hell did all that happen? I mean, Hinata's great and she's always supported me, but don't these things usually take a while?_

_Or maybe it's been taking a lot longer, and I didn't even notice. Why did I stand up for Hinata in the Chunin Exams? Why was I so afraid of her being hurt by Pain? Here I am thinking that love isn't that quick or obvious, when maybe it's been growing for years._

_Wait, love? Do I love Hinata? As a friend- best friend!- definitely. As more… I'm not absolutely sure yet. But I plan to find out; I know she loves me, Hinata wouldn't lie, and it would be cruel of me to stay with her if I didn't feel the same. But when do I know if I've figured it out?_

_Things are so confusing! I miss when my most pressing matter in the day was getting down to Ichiraku's for a few bowls in between training sessions._

The Hero of Konoha replayed Hinata's attack against Pain over and over again in his mind, remembering what she said word for word. No one had ever said they loved him and he cherished the memory more than when Iruka-sensei gave him his headband.

_I promise, Hinata-chan. I will never abandon you, or do anything to drive you away. _

Did Naruto love Hinata? As his promise resonated through his mind Naruto wasn't sure he could say no.

* * *

**Okay, there it is! **

**First off, I know Hiashi is OOC so don't bother to go complaining about it. I just couldn't picture Hiashi being as cold as some people depict him, especially after Hinata fought Pain. As for why Hiashi gave Naruto permission to date Hinata? Like the man said, it takes a lot of strength to do something like that!**

**Also, tell me what you think of Hanabi's character. I picture her being a normal ten year old forced into the pomp and circumstance, as opposed to a prissy, stuck-up snob.**

**And send a message or post in your review if you have a good idea for something to happen at the Christmas party!**

**Wait for the next chapter where Kurenai teaches Naruto to dance! (I mean it, I am dead serious.)**


	4. Day 3 Dances with Jinchuriki

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This chapter is going to jump back and forth a lot, because the first part is going to be about how Naruto and Hinata 'prepare' for the party. The end is going to be at the party. Keep in mind that Naruto's dance lesson is going to be noticeably 'sillier' than any other part of the story, before or after. Also, the PoV is going to jump between a lot of people at the party for a bit to show what's happening with the other characters we all know and love.

**Okay, just going to give a brief explanation of what's going to happen next. I am going to have Kurenai end up teaching Naruto to dance in the strangest still-plausible way possible. Just keep that in mind when you read this next scene… hopefully it doesn't seem too OOC.**

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* * *

**

Naruto groggily rose from his messy bed, his limbs entangled in the sheets. After minutes of fumbling about the young shinobi extricated himself from his comfortable death-trap. (A/N; Seriously, if you're in a comfy bed, there's no way in hell you're getting up. That might be trouble if someone breaks in while you're sleeping.)

He reached for his usual attire when he remembered what Hinata said the night before. '_Naruto-kun, don't forget to dress well tomorrow!'_

He found the second outfit Hinata had purchased for him and lazily slipped it on. He made to leave his bedroom when suddenly he realized that he hadn't showered… _What good are nice clothes if I smell like a mud pit?_

**Indeed you do, kit.**

_Shut up… stupid fox…_

The Kyuubi, much to Naruto's surprise, didn't make a remark. Not wanting to press his luck, Naruto undressed himself and slipped into the shower. He started to sing to himself as the water washed over him, singing whatever tune popped into his head.

Eventually Naruto ceased the flow of water and began to dry himself. Small drops of water cascaded down his chest and dripped onto the hard, tiled floor of the bathroom. _Damn, I should really get a bathmat… _

(Naruto's thoughts are supposed to be very scattered; it's Naruto.)

Wrapping his towel about his waist, Naruto walked into his kitchen to prepare some instant ramen. He hurriedly grabbed the nearest cup of his precious ramen and began preparing it immediately, cursing every minute that he was forced to wait. Eventually the painstaking eternity of waiting for his 'miracle food' came to an end and he ruthlessly devoured the entire cup. He made to get another one when a knock on the door drew his attention.

"Who the hell-"

The door swung inward, being followed closely by a particularly large, red-eyed woman. _Kuso! I thought I locked the door!_

Yuhi Kurenai positively glared at him… or maybe it was just her normal look. "Naruto-san."

"Kurenai-sensei." Naruto was blushing at the fact that he was wearing nothing but a towel, but tried not to draw attention to the fact.

"I heard that you're taking Hinata-chan to a party?"

_What's she getting at? _"Hai. Um… what are you doing in my house, Kurenai-sensei?"

She arched her eyebrows at the straightforward question. "Well, I wanted to make something clear to you, Naruto-san." _I am really creeped out now… why the hell did she just barge into my apartment! Maybe those mood swings are getting really bad…_ "I am very protective of Hinata, and I fully expect you to do your best to ensure that she is not harmed or disappointed."

"I'd never hurt Hinata-chan!"

"You mean like how you didn't hurt her by not noticing her feelings for seven years?"

Naruto winced as Kurenai went on. "I just came to warn you that unpleasant things may arise should you do anything harmful to my student."

"H-hai, Kurenai-s-sensei." _She is so scary!_

"Now, I want you to tell me exactly what you and Hinata-chan are going to do."

"Um… at s-seven thirty I'm going to pick her up, and then we're going to the party at the Yamanakas'."

"I imagine no one will be drinking?" (A/N; picture Kurenai as the overprotective gf's mother from hell.)

"W-well Hinata and I won't be but, um… I think Sakura was going to invite Obaa-chan, s-so…" They both knew that the Hokage would never be able to resist sake if it was available to her.

"What exactly will be going on?"

"W-we'll probably just eat and talk with our friends."

She raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "That's it? No dancing, or anything?"

Naruto looked a bit embarrassed as he confessed. "Actually, I've never danced before."

"Well then, I suppose I'll have to show you."

_What? _"What, Kurenai-sensei?"

"You heard me! Every young woman wants some young man to sweep them off their feet dancing. I want this night to go as well for Hinata-chan as it possibly can, so you **are** going to learn to dance."

Naruto gulped as a sense of foreboding washed over him. This was not going to end well for him.

* * *

Hinata woke up from her pleasant dreams to the odd sensation of being watched. As she cleared her eyes of the bleariness that always followed sleep she saw Hanabi standing there with a sickeningly sweet grin on her face. Caught by surprise, Hinata jumped up and nearly fell to the ground.

"Imouto!"

Hanabi batted her eyelashes in a remarkably effective attempt to look as cute as possible. "Hinata-nee-chan, I was wonderin'…"

"Yes?"

"… If maybe I could go to that party you were talking about with Naruto-san?"

The older Hyuuga groaned exasperatedly. "Hanabi-chan, why do you want to go to the party?"

"Well, I was thinking that it could be fun! And maybe I could meet some of your friends, since my friends are all busy…"

_Oh god! I can think of a few people who might not be the best influences… *cough* Kiba-kun *cough* Ino-chan *cough*._ "Hanabi, you don't want to meet my friends! You'll probably just think they're boring!"

"More boring than most of our family?"

_She has me there._"Okay. Fine. You can come with Naruto-kun and I to the party, Hinata-chan."

"Yay!" Hanabi shouted excitedly.

"On one condition!" Hinata wasn't used to being forceful with anyone, but if her notably younger sister was going with her to a party she had to lay down some ground rules. "If and when the Hokage arrives, you are to not even get within three feet of whatever sake she brings with her!" Her sister was not going to start drinking!

"Duh, Hinata-chan! Why would I touch that stuff?"

"I'm just warning you."

Hanabi exaggeratedly rolled her eyes. "I thought Naruto-san giving you confidence was a good thing, but now you're just bossy!"

Hinata gasped. _Me? Bossy!_ She opened her mouth when Hanabi spoke again. "Why is Hokage-sama attending the party?"

"Well, Sakura-chan and Ino-chan also invited our senseis" (A/N; proper plural of sensei?)

"Oh, so your sensei is going to be there?"

"Actually, I asked that they didn't invite Kurenai-sensei because she didn't need any additional stress or negativity with her pregnancy."

"That makes sense."

"I just hope she's relaxing and not doing anything too strenuous."

* * *

"Kuso!" yelled the red-eyed genjutsu mistress. "I said right foot!"

Naruto paled under the angry gaze of his girlfriend's sensei. "Sorry, I got confused with the timing!" That, and the fact that he was extremely uncomfortable holding the kunoichi's hand.

"It's the waltz; the waltz! It is far from the most complicated dance to learn!" She looked like a vein was about to burst in her forehead.

They had spent the better part of an hour learning the most basic waltz steps, much to Kurenai's frustration. For a trained killer who was skilled in taijutsu, Naruto could barely remember to alternate feet for a simple box step.

"Why are we learning this dance again?"

"Is there another dance you'd rather learn?"

"Uh…"

"Okay, now, start again on the left foot." They began again on the horrid, arduous task of teaching the knucklehead to dance.

_Ugh! I hope Hinata-chan appreciates what I'm going through for her! Why can't this be easy?_

"Naruto-san!"

"Huh?"

"I said 'it looks like you're ready for the next move.'"

"Oh, okay. What move is that?"

"We're going to begin working on some basic spins. And by basic I mean basic enough for even you to be able to do."

_How does she expect me to spin her? She's gotten pretty damn big, and if I drop her to the ground… I don't want to hurt her baby. _"Um, Kurenai-sensei I don't think that that's such a good idea. I don't think I can spin you and-"

The resounding sound of a slap echoed through the area. "Are you calling me fat?"

"What? No! It's just I'm not good at this and I didn't want to-"

Another slap. "Do you think that I'm incapable of even staying standing without your help?"

"No!" _How does Hinata-chan put up with this woman?_

Suddenly she seemed apologetic, and possibly ashamed. "I apologize, Naruto-san. I shouldn't have overreacted."

"What?" _Oh, right. Mood swings._

"Let's just get back to dancing; I assure you that I'll be fine."

_Ugh, this is awful. I really hope this isn't a wasted effort._

_

* * *

_

"Otou-sama, may I spend the night at the Yamanaka home to assist Sakura-chan and Ino-chan in cleaning up?"

The Clan Head looked at his daughter thoughtfully before nodding. "Hai, musume."

Hanabi looked at her older sister with a hurt expression. "Hinata-nee-chan, what about me? I'm just supposed to walk home alone and then do nothing for the rest of the night?"

Hinata couldn't think of what to say. She hadn't been thinking of Hanabi when she asked. _Hanabi probably planned this, but… _"How about I ask Ino-chan if you can stay as well, Imouto?"

Hanabi grinned from ear to ear, and her eyes gleamed triumphantly. _Oh yeah, she definitely planned this. _"Thanks, Onee-chan!"

_Why do I have the feeling this is going to be a long day? I bet Naruto's day is going better than mine._

_

* * *

_

Naruto hurriedly shook off the sensation of having his eyes being eaten by bugs, dispelling the genjutsu placed on him by the furious woman before him. "Kurenai-sensei, why would you do that?"

"You stepped on my foot!"

They had been bickering back and forth for quite a while as his 'lesson' had gone on and it seemed as if they would just keep on going when suddenly they heard a burst of laughter, followed by a flash of silver hair.

Kakashi gave an amused eye-smile as he looked at his visibly-agitated student. "Yo."

"Kakashi-sensei, how long have you been watching?"

"Long enough to know that you really need some help."

_Great, now I have two jonin against me. _"And let me guess, you think you can help."

"No, I know I can help. Watch what I do." The silver-haired jonin took Kurenai's hands and began to fluidly move through a complex pattern of steps, moving with a steady tempo and consistently shifting his stance. _Way to show off, Kakashi-sensei! Just like the bell test…_

"You need to relax! Kurenai-san, you're scaring the hell out of him. Maybe you could use a transformation jutsu to look like someone who he wouldn't be afraid to touch?"

Kurenai looked insulted but after a series of handseals she was replaced by the form of Hyuuga Hinata, wearing her usual baggy jacket. As Naruto seemed to be more at ease she began to walk him through each of the steps again, the only oddity being the cold, stern voice.

Kakashi watched him with an appraising eye, noting all of his movements and correcting slight imperfections in his form. He would occasionally offer encouragements or critiques, yet he mostly remained silent.

"Wow, Kakashi-sensei, if only your taijutsu lessons were this good!"

A loud voice boomed, "Ah, I see that your youthful student has noticed your faults, my eternal rival! One must always show strength in front of their students!" A green spandex-clad shinobi suddenly appeared next to Kakashi.

"Yo."

Naruto was now getting very concerned with how his friends senseis kept intruding on whatever he was doing. "Gai-sensei, what are you doing here?"

With his far-too-loud voice Gai replied. "I saw my eternal rival wander over here and decided to investigate!"

Kakashi had at some point drawn out his small orange book, which he was now reading intensely. "Gai, did you say something?"

"Oh, Kakashi, why must you always be so 'cool' and 'hip'?"

As Gai began a full on rant about the power of youth Kurenai subtly leaned toward Naruto and whispered in his ear, "I think you can go now, Naruto-san. You've learned enough to not ruin Hinata-chan's night, and I'm not going to make you sit through this."

_Thank. Kami-sama._

_

* * *

_

Hinata waited by the door expectantly, younger sibling in tow. The clock read seven thirty and Naruto should be arriving any minute. Hinata felt positively giddy about spending time with Naruto, even if they weren't alone for the night. At least they could walk together and- wait, no, Hanabi was with them. Either way, she and Naruto were together. _Naruto-kun, I will get you to love me!_

Hanabi looked around nervously before she asked Hinata a question. "Hinata-chan, why do you like Naruto-san?"

Hinata stared at her in disbelief. _What?_

The ten year old continued. "I mean he's really funny, and I guess he's kind of… cute… but that's not enough to like someone like you do."

She looked at the door then back to her sister. "Well Hanabi… um…" She took a deep breath as she organized her thoughts. "Naruto-kun was always alone." That earned a confused glance but she continued. "He had no one to care for him, and he was openly hated by all the villagers. They would kick him out of their stores, threaten him with violence… attack him… but even though he went through all that he never gave up. Instead of hating the villagers back he vowed to become Hokage and prove that he deserved better, to protect Konoha and everyone in it even though they didn't want him. He trained and trained to someday reach his dream, and he inspired me. Otou-sama would always call me weak, and make me feel worthless, but Naruto-kun was always there to make me feel that I shouldn't give up either. So I watched him, every day I would watch him suffer undeserved abuse and watch him take it in stride. He amazed me."

Hanabi was was the most her sister had ever said at once.

"Then during the Chunin exams, when everyone else had given up on me –when I had given up on myself- Naruto cheered me on and made me fight harder. He believed in me more than anyone ever did. Eventually 'like' turned to 'love', and I always waited for the day where I might finally be able to tell him. And then he left for three years… I was heartbroken at his leaving, but I waited every day for him to come back to Konoha. He hadn't given up on me and I wouldn't give up on him. Then when he came back I still couldn't bring myself to tell him. Although we barely talked, Naruto-kun tried his hardest to save me when we searched for the jinchuuriki of the three-tailed giant turtle. He always protected me. That, Hanabi-chan, is why I love Naruto."

At some point near the beginning of Hinata's speech Naruto had been given leave to enter the compound, and he was now staring dumbly at the lavender-eyed heiress. Hinata looked back to the door and began to blush furiously as she saw the open-mouthed blonde staring at her.

"Hinata! I… uh…" At a loss for words he swiftly walked over to her and embraced. Naruto whispered softly in her ear. "That was beautiful, Hinata-chan. I have never heard anyone speak about me like that… besides maybe you."

Hinata giggled stupidly and just stood there for a moment before a loud cough brought her back to attention. She backed up a few steps to a less intimate position, saying "Naruto-kun, I wanted to tell you that Hanabi-chan will be going with us to the party."

"Is Sakura-chan okay with that?"

"She said I could bring anyone."

"Okay then!" Naruto walked over to Hanabi with his hand raised for a high five. "Come on, kid! It'll be great!"

Hanabi looked at the hand confused; Hyuuga's did not give 'high fives' Naruto shook his head and withdrew it. "Okay, Naruto-san." She turned around and yelled "Farewell, Otou-sama!"

At that the trio departed the large compound, the youngest looking on in disgust as the other two kissed each other lightly. Hinata wrapped her left arm about Naruto's while Hanabi clasped onto her right hand. _This is nice. _They walked for a long time toward the Yamankas' home, Hinata enjoying every looked over to see Naruto with a confused yet comforted look plastered on his features.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't know, you just had this weird look on your face."

"I was just thinking… never mind."

_He probably thinks I'll say it's stupid. Doesn't he understand? _"Naruto-kun, what did you want to say?"

"Well… I was just thinking that maybe this is what having a family feels like."

Hinata felt heat rush to her face. _Am I really that special to him? _"What makes you say that?"

"I don't know, it's just… it feels nice having people around you that care for you, who you know won't abandon you, and who you care about too."

_He cares that much?_ Hinata started to silently cry tears of joy. _I never thought that I'd ever be this close to him; that he'd ever feel strongly about me. And all those things he said yesterday to Otou-sama… If it weren't for Sakura's plan I might never have had this chance. I owe her more than I can repay._

Naruto looked over and saw the slight glistening on her cheeks. "Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry if-"

"No, Naruto-kun, you didn't say anything wrong. I'm just so happy right now I can't contain it." Sometimes you had to explain things to Naruto, but that density was endearing.

He gave his trademark fox-like grin before leaning in to kiss her again. As their lips locked she let go of her sister's hand, running her now freed appendage through Naruto's hair while the other one wrapped about the back of his neck. As a pair of strong arms wrapped about her waist the logical part of her mind screamed how embarrassing this was, yet it was drowned out by the part of her mind that simply went with the moment. She heard a light cough from Hanabi, yet she completely ignored her sister. They simply embraced each other's presence. Then they heard a loud whistle and clapping, causing Hinata to stand ramrod stiff and nearly faint.

Apparently they had been closer to their destination than they expected, as the rest of the Konoha Eleven were standing there applauding alongside Tsunade, Shizune, Kakashi, Gai, Iruka, Sai and.. Anko?. _This is so embarrassing!_ She looked back at her boyfriend, expecting him to be in a similar state of mind as her, but he was giving them a large smile. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into a crushing hug while muttering something like "Well, I guess we don't have to tell some of them now" under his breath. Then, with pride in his voice, Naruto shouted "Hyuuga Hinata is my girlfriend!"

The applause increased as Hinata finally succumbed to her lightheadedness and fainted in Naruto's arms.

* * *

Ino and Sakura looked concerned as Hinata's body suddenly went limp, but Naruto just picked her up bridal style and started to carry her inside to find her a soft place to rest. All of the others streamed in behind him muttering amongst themselves. Naruto looked around the large living room to find a place to place the lavender-eyed beauty resting in his arms.

The living room was tastefully decorated, the furniture resting against the near and far walls with a small table near the couch. The walls were a dark red color, while the ceiling was eggshell white. The floor was covered in a very soft carpet of a similar color to the ceiling. Naruto eyed the couch appraisingly and then made to set her down. He began to lower her onto the waiting cushions but Hinata grasped onto his shirt and refused to let go. With an amused sigh Naruto sat down and allowed the unconscious Hyuuga to snuggle up against him. Hanabi, not knowing anyone else there, sat next to Naruto opposite her older sister.

Kiba and Akamaru found a seat across from Naruto and spoke after a brief burst of laughter. "Man, Naruto-kun, you sure know how to make an entrance!"

"What were all of you guys doing out there anyway?"

"Well, most of us were inside but Tenten-san had gone out for some air when she saw you lean in. She quickly got the rest of us outside to see what was going on."

"So you guys had nothing better to do than watch me kiss Hinata-chan?"

"Hey, half of us couldn't believe you finally got the sense knocked into you! I lost a bet to Shikamaru because I figured you wouldn't kiss her."

"Well, sucks for you!"

Kiba laughed but then his face was serious. "Do you love her?"

Naruto was surprised, to say the least. "What?"

"I said do you love her? If you don't truly care about her, and you hurt her, I will kick your ass!" Akamaru barked a loud agreement.

"It can't be worse than what Kurenai-sensei threatened me with!" Naruto chuckled a bit at the remark and then thought to himself. _Do I love her? I mean, she is one of my precious people; she's stood by me when other people didn't. _He remembered everything he thought yesterday when he made his promise, and everything she had said today.

**Do you really need to ask yourself that, kit?**

Naruto grinned as joy overwhelmed him. _No I don't!_

"Yes!"

Kiba jumped at the sudden exclamation but then flashed a grin as well. "Are you sure you're not just fooling yourself?"

"I love Hinata-chan more than anyone else."

"Glad to hear it, Naruto-san."

Naruto looked over to the now open-mouthed Hanabi. "Don't say anything, I want to tell her myself tomorrow."

Hanabi grinned before nodding excitedly.

Kiba looked over at the young Hyuuga, not really noticing her until now. "Who's the kid?"

"That's Hinata-chan's younger sister Hanabi."

He held a hand out in greeting. "Hey, I'm your sister's teammate Inuzuka Kiba."

Hanabi did a slight bow, or as best she could from a seated position. "It is nice to meet you, Inuzuka-san."

Naruto pretended to look hurt. "The kid wasn't that respectful when she met me! She slapped me!"

Kiba laughed while Hanabi shouted "You called my Otou-sama a teme!"

"He was a teme!"

Hanabi made to scold the blonde shinobi until Sakura ran over. "Hanabi-chan! I didn't know you were coming!"

"Hai. Oh, Sakura-chan, could you get Ino-chan?"

Sakura turned around and yelled "Ino-pig!" while Naruto pointed a questioning eyebrow at Hanabi.

"Sakura-chan and Ino-chan?"

Sakura interjected. "Ino-pig and I always hung out with Hanabi the few times we went to the Hyuuga Compound."

"Sakura-chan, I didn't know you had a soft spot for little kids!"

Hanabi seemed furious as she hissed "I'm not a little kid! I am training to be a kunoichi of the leaf!"

"Hitai-ate equals adulthood, but until then you're a pipsqueak."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

The argument between the sixteen year old gennin and the ten year old girl lasted for some time, much to the amusement of those around.

* * *

(Shikamaru* and Choji)

Choji happily ate his way through several plates of food while his friend sat next to him in brooding silence. As he swallowed the last of his fourth plate the huskier boy asked "What's up, Shikamaru?"

_I bet you already know what's up. It doesn't take someone as smart as me to figure that out._ "Nothing."

Choji quickly scarfed down another small plate of dango before posing another question. "You wish Temari was here, don't you?"

The lazy genius smirked as he muttered "That troublesome woman." _I knew that you would have figured it out. If only she'd returned after the reconstruction. No, no, no need to trouble myself with trivialities and wishes. I'm a tactician, I should know better than anyone to make do with what I've got. _

"If you like her why don't you just tell her?"

"What, and give her the upper hand?" _I want to see if she's as smart and observant in this situation as she is playing shogi_

"I guess."

_And I know why you've only eaten four full plates of food since we got here. _"So, when are you going to ask Ino on a date?"

"What? What makes you think I want to ask out Ino?"

_If only you knew how obvious it was. _"You always eat more slowly when she's around, you work marginally harder if you think you are in a position to impress her, you made slight altercations to how you dressed when she made offhand comments about it, and you always steer the conversation away if it approaches the topic of Ino's appearance."

Choji just went back to finding snacks, mumbling about Shikamaru being 'too smart for his own good.'

Shikamaru grinned as he thought of his small triumph over his friend, and as he thought of a certain Suna kunoichi with her hair in four pigtails.

* * *

(Neji and Tenten*)

"If you hadn't insisted that I come here early with you, Lee-kun and Gai-sensei the whole incident could have been avoided!" said the pale-eyed jonin, his voice as cold as ever.

_Oh, Neji. _"So I should have just let you be a buzzkill on Naruto-kun and Hinata-chan's mood?"

"Yes! Then my cousin would not be unconscious while the party goes on around her."

_Wow Neji, I'm really glad to see you're such a romantic._ "Yeah, and then Naruto might not have just said he loves her."

The weapons mistress smirked to herself as Neji went wide-eyed. "Hn. You win this time, Tenten-chan. I will try and leave my cousins romantic affairs alone.

_Yeah, and then maybe you could focus on another girl's romantic affairs! Can't those special eyes of yours see anything?" _Neji-kun, could you go get me a drink?"

As Neji wordlessly walked in the direction of the punch bowl Tenten let her hair down, and nimbly leapt to the bathroom to apply last-minute makeup. _If I'm lucky, Naruto won't be the only one leaving here with a Hyuuga!_

(A/N; Sorry to tell you, NejiTen fans, she's not lucky. For all he berates Naruto for being unobservant Neji isn't much better.)

* * *

(Shizune* and Tsunade)

Shizune shook her head at her mentor's display as she continued to harass Naruto, who still had Hianta resting soundly against his chest.

"C-come on, gaki! *hic* I-I have an experiment." Her words were slurred from the massive amount of sake she had already downed.

"No, Baa-chan."

"You don't even know what it is y-yet! *hic*"

"Fine, Baa-chan. What is it?"

"I want to see what happens if a Kage Bunshin gets d-drunk, really drunk, *hic* and what happens to the o-original after it dissipates."

_That's actually an interesting idea… but I shouldn't let Tsunade-sama get too out of control. Might as well nip it in the bud. _The dark-haired woman walked over and placed a strong grip on the busty blonde's arm. "Tsunade-sama, maybe you should go sit down-"

"Hey, look *hic* Shizune-chan" She pointed up as she whispered "we're under the mistletoe." She giggled as if she had made some hilarious joke. Shizune was too taken aback by the heavy scent of sake to register what the Hokage had said until she saw the older woman pucker her lips comically. _Kami, why?_

Shizune tried to pull away but the much stronger kunoichi was now pulling her closer. Wincing, Shizune closed her eyes and brushed lips with her mentor for no more than two seconds. Tsunade laughed before falling down the floor, passing out from the copious amounts of alcohol. _This Is why I never go to parties with Tsunade-sama; this is just a small get-together with friends! Imagine how bad she would be at a real party!_

Shizune dropped onto the nearest seat she could find and let out a large sigh. She looked at Naruto as he prodded the Hokage with his foot, seeing if it would rouse her but to no avail. He looked at her, embarrassment on his face, but she just waved it off and let him resume his prodding.

_Right now I'm just going to sit back, and let whatever happens to Tsunade-sama happen. _

_

* * *

_

(Sakura* and Ino)

The pinkette looked up to see Ino finally saunter her way over to where she and Hanabi were waiting. "Ino-pig, Hanabi-chan wanted to ask you something."

The blonde looked at the young Hyuuga and her face lit up. "Hey, kiddo! What's up? Oh, and Sakura? Why is the Hokage passed out on the floor?"

_When I started training with one of the Sannin, I never figured that all three of them would be such weirdos! There's that damn pervert that Naruto trained with, Orochimaru is a treacherous bastard and Tsunade-sama is a raging alcoholic! Maybe being strong means you have to have some weird quirk? _Sakura bluntly said. "She likes to drink. A lot." _As proud as I am to call her sensei, I'm ashamed to call her sensei._

Ino smiled and looked at Hanabi, who said "I wanted to ask if I may spend the night here with Hinata-nee-chan."

"Sure thing! It'll be great!"

_Oh, Ino-pig, you'd never turn down an opportunity to hang out with little kids… then again I doubt I'm much better. But that's what friends are for, right? _After Sasuke had left Konoha to train with that bastard Orochimaru, Ino and Sakura had worked at renewing their friendship. Everything seemed better once she got her friend back, like things weren't so bad.

Sakura decided that talking out loud was more interesting than thinking to herself, so she let fly the first question that came to mind. "So Hanabi, how are things at the academy?"

"They're okay I guess. It's kind of boring though."

Ino smiled sweetly. "I know, I thought the subjects were boring too."

"No, it's not that. I like the subjects, it's just that I don't really like some of the teachers."

Sakura stepped in this time. "Who don't you like?"

Hanabi whispered, afraid that the target of her next statement might hear her. "Well, I guess he's okay, but I think Iruka-sensei is a bit… eh…"

Sakura was surprised; she had always loved Iruka. What didn't surprise her is how Naruto's head shot around in a flash. She tried to alleviate the situation by having Hanabi explain herself before Naruto started ranting. "What don't you like about Iruka-sensei?"

"Sometimes it seems like he doesn't take his job seriously with his jokes. And a lot of the time he seems indifferent if his students do poorly, like he doesn't really care that much."

Sakura blanched as the last words left the girl's mouth. _Wrong move, girly. _Naruto looked as if he was about to burst… which he did. "What do you mean, 'Iruka-sensei doesn't seem to care'? Iruka-sensei is possibly the only good person out of all of those temes at the Academy!"

Sakura reached out to him, trying to soothe him. "Naruto-kun"

"Iruka-sensei taught us better than all of the other teachers, and he was the only one who didn't treat me like trash! You know why he doesn't freak out when you score bad? Because he's proud of you for trying!" He seemed to want to say more but instead shot up, dropping Hinata onto the couch roughly, and stormed out the door.

Sakura shouted after him. "Naruto-kun, where are you going?"

"Out! I'm not going to sit here and listen to someone badmouth Iruka-sensei!"

Ino whistled at the display of rage, while Sakura hung her head. Hanabi seemed shocked, not moving an inch. Sakura and Hanabi turned to see a very concerned Iruka go running after his former student.

Hanabi whimpered a bit, so Sakura placed her hand on the child's arm. "It's okay, he'll calm down eventually. Just let him work it out. Naruto isn't the kind to hold a grudge."

Hanabi only dumbly nodded as she shamefully looked at the open door.

_Is she ashamed for upsetting Naruto-kun, or for how she badmouthed Iruka-sensei?_

_

* * *

_

(Iruka*)

Iruka ran around the nearby areas, searching for his student. _Naruto couldn't have gotten that far so quickly, right?_ He eventually took to the rooftops for a better vantage point. His eyes scanned the trees and buildings for any sign of Naruto. He sighed after minutes of fruitless searching until he saw a flash of yellow in the distance; yellow and red. Iruka ran to the spot, finding Naruto mercilessly assaulting a random tree, with red chakra seeping from his pores.

Each blow from his fists sent chunks of wood flying, his punches fueled by rage and anger. Iruka stepped forward and quietly said, "Naruto?"

Naruto looked up at his mentor and his anger seemed to lessen as the red chakra began to recede. "Iruka-sensei."

"Naruto, come back to the party."

"Why? Did you hear what Hanabi-san said about you?"

"Naruto look at me." The blonde complied as Iruka continued. "Naruto, why did that anger you so much?"

"Because she was talking crap about you, Iruka-sensei! She had no right to say that kind of stuff about you!"

"Of course she had the right!"

Naruto suddenly was extremely confused. "What?"

"Naruto, everyone is allowed to have their own opinions. Everyone deserves to express themselves; that's why we fight!"

Naruto nodded, but he looked skeptical.

"Naruto, do I look upset at Hanabi's words?" Naruto shook his head. "Then why should you be upset?" The gennin opened his mouth to say something but the words died in his throat.

"The only way to prove someone wrong is through your actions, not harsh words or violent outbursts. I figured you of all people would know that best. Isn't that why you dreamed of becoming Hokage?"

The blonde nodded slowly. "Hai, Iruka-sensei."

"So don't worry about what she said; I'll just have to try harder to show her that I do care. Come back with me to the party and enjoy your night out with your girlfriend." Iruka smiled as he said that last. _I'm so glad Naruto finally found someone._

His former student smiled back. "Hai, Iruka-sensei."

The duo walked back together to the Yamanaka home laughing and joking as they went.

"Naruto, how about we make a bet? If I can't change Hanabi's mind in the first week back at the academy I'll treat you to a night at Ichiraku's."

"You're on Iruka-sensei!"

* * *

(Kakashi and Anko*)

Looking at herself in the bathroom mirror, the Snake Mistress of Konoha did her best to look sexy for a certain cyclopean Jonin. _I will see what's under that mask!_ She adjusted her shirt to reveal as much cleavage as was decent… for her at least. With her bust practically bursting out of her shirt, Mitarashi Anko walked over to Hatake Kakashi, swaying her hips as much as she could. "Hey… _Kakashi_" She licked her lips seductively.

"Yo."

_Really? Nothing? _She pulled out a bottle of sake. "Would you share a drink with me?" She used the dreaded 'Puppy-dog Eyes no Jutsu' and gave the cutest pout she could.

"Sure."

She leaned over as she poured each of them their drinks, giving an even better view down her shirt, before sitting uncomfortably close to the infamous copy-nin. _Now I can finally see that face of his!_ Suddenly, out of nowhere, he produced a straw which he inserted into his sake. He slipped the thin tube beneath his mask and gave a large eye smile as he happily sucked down the alcoholic beverage.

_Son of a bitch!_

When he finally finished Anko turned and straddled his hips. She whispered as sensually as she could, "Hey, Kakashi, how about we… go some place quiet." She was willing to give him some to finally see his face.

He bluntly said "No thanks."

She whined. "Aww… come on!" She wrapped her arms around his neck as if to pull him into a kiss. Suddenly she grasped his mask and pulled it off, crying triumphantly. She looked at his face and nearly burst a blood vessel.

Kakashi smiled at her through his still-masked face. "I always wear a backup, just in case. Better luck next time Anko!" He gently pushed her off of him as he strode away. The last thing anyone heard before Anko's earsplitting scream of frustration was Kakashi saying "Hey, Gai! Let's play some poker!"

* * *

(Lee, Gai and Kakashi*)

"Yosh! I will play you in a most youthful game of poker, my hip and cool rival, under one condition! We shall play only one hand, and if I win you shall show me your face!" Gai's voice boomed through the Yamanaka home.

_Of course. _Kakashi inwardly sighed; why did everyone want to see his face? "And if I win?"

"Then I shall run five hundred laps around Konoha!"

Lee piped in as well, "As shall I!"

_Of course… _"How about instead of that, both of you stop training for four days."

Lee's already huge eyes bugged out of his head, but Gai quickly agreed. He signaled to his pupil and in a matter of seconds their hands were dealt. Kakashi simply read the newest –and final, he reminded himself grimly- Icha Icha book and kept his hand as it was dealt. After a brief moment of Gai switching his hand he heard a boisterous laugh from his self-proclaimed 'eternal rival'.

"A royal flush! I win, Kakashi!"

Kakashi let out the biggest sigh he could muster and made to put his book on the ground to clear his hands. As he brought them up to his mask he subtly made handsigns. When they both reached the top of his mask he did the final seal and cast a minor genjutsu on Gai, which made him believe he pulled down his mask. After a quick second the genjutsu ended and Gai was smiling victoriously… until Lee grabbed his attention.

"Gai-sensei, I did not see him pull down his mask… and from how no one is paying Kakashi-sensei their most youthful attention I imagine they did not either."

"Well Gai, you never said you wanted to see my real face." _Some people are too easy to fool. Great in students, like Naruto, but bad in senseis._

"Damn you and your perfectly-chiseled jawline, Kakashi!"

* * *

(Tsunade* and Kakashi)

The Godaime Hokage carefully lifted herself off the ground, suffering a splitting headache. She was grateful for the quiet more than anything else once she saw Naruto was gone. _I love the little gaki but Naruto plus headache equals pain. _She was still a little drunk but the room wasn't spinning like it had been earlier. She took a deep, relaxed breath when she was suddenly deafened by a loud cry from Gai.

"Damn you and your perfectly-chiseled jawline, Kakashi!"

_Wait, did Gai see his face? No, or else he wouldn't be frustrated like that… come to think of it I always wondered what he was hiding under there._

She saw the silver-haired jonin walk lazily toward where she was tenuously standing. When he got within a few feet Tsunade made her move. "Hatake Kakashi."

"Hai, Hokage-sama?"

"Show me your real, physical face, unobscured by both your headband and your customary masks." _I know how this guy minces his words. Two can play at that game!_

The look on his face realized he couldn't agree then weasel his way out. He looked as though he might decline when she decided to add a bit more pressure. "Otherwise I won't give your team any missions above D rank for the next month and a half."

She heard him mutter "Naruto would kill me if that happened!" _Thank you, gaki!_

He looked around cautiously to make sure that no one else was around before he sighed and made to remove his mask. He first pulled off his Konoha hitai-ate, revealing his Sharingan eye, before he also pulled off his sole remaining mask.

Tsunade's jaw dropped as she looked at Kakashi's bare face. _He's…. he's…!_

Anothervoice spoke up, "Kakashi-senpai, you are an incredibly handsome man."

_Shizune!_

Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise. _I guess Kakashi's slipping up… unless… _"Shizune-chan, were you hiding from Kakashi when he came by?"

"Uh…" She blushed a little. She looked again at Kakashi's face. "Kakashi-senpai, would you maybe like to get something to eat, sometime?"

Tsunade raised an amused eyebrow. _She always was concerned about being single._ "I guess I'll just leave you two alone." She chuckled to herself as she walked away and listened to Kakashi stammering response. She swore that, in a roundabout way, he said sure.

(A/N; I really didn't plan this whatsoever, but I just suddenly thought of it as I started writing the bit with Tsunade. I think I could have fun writing about Kakashi and Shizune)

* * *

(Sai and Tsunade)

Sai sat alone in a corner musing over his newest painting. He did a little touch up then nodded when he deemed it complete. Carrying it over to the person it was made for he put on his usual fake smile… but there was maybe a hint of real happiness there?

He slowly presented it to the Hokage as she walked about with a grin on her face… which quickly disappeared as she swung a fist at the dark-haired man. He narrowly dodged and ran quickly away from the irate Slug Princess of Konoha. She glanced again at the painting then looked away from embarrassment.

It was a very detailed image of her kissing her apprentice underneath the mistletoe… she'd have Naruto Rasengan it later.

* * *

Hinata shifted uncomfortably, finally noticing the lack of warmth. She groggily opened her eyes and gazed about the room. "Naruto-kun?" She stood up and walked around aimlessly, still too tired to remember where she was. The only thing she really remembered was that she had been with Naruto, and now she wasn't. She turned the nearest corner and began to walk outside. (A/N; You know when you're so tired that you pretty much pass out, and then you can't remember what happened? It's like that.)

She saw Naruto and Iruka very close to her, although she paid the latter no mind. She ran up to him, happily shouting as she caught him in a flying hug. "Naruto-kun!" The momentum caused Naruto to spin her around. When they finally stopped Hinata held him tighter… until she remembered where they were and who else was with them. She regretfully broke away blushing while she waved to Iruka. "Konichiwa, Iruka-sensei."

"Ah, young love. Just keep Naruto in line, okay Hinata?"

Hinata was confused but just nodded. Naruto took her hand and the couple walked inside together, leaving the older Chunin alone. Naruto and Hinata took up the same spots they had been in earlier, only this time Hinata was awake to fully enjoy the situation… and to blush furiously when Kiba walked over to her and Naruto.

"Hey, Hinata! You're awake!"

Not moving from her comfortable position reclining against Naruto despite the embarrassment Hinata just said. "Hai, Kiba-kun." _I need to get over this shyness when I'm around Naruto-kun! I have to be able to be with him in public without fainting!_

"Everyone's wanted to talk to you."

"Really?" _Why would everyone want to talk to me?_

"Yeah! Ino-chan and Tenten-san said something about when you fought Pein, and Tsunade and the other's wanted to hear about it."

"Okay."

Kiba turned to get the other's when Naruto talked to him. "Kiba! I think we can drop the honorifics. After all the crap we've been through together I'd say we can at least do that."

"Whatever baka."

Kiba walked out of the room and began to round everyone up. Once he was gone Naruto pulled Hinata closer to him. She closed her eyes blissfully as she just sat and rested against Naruto's broad chest, their arms wrapped around each other in a loving embrace. Eventually the small group gathered in the room with the couple, and sat around attentively… except for two other people.

As Shizune and Kakashi walked in Hinata smirked at pointed them out to Naruto who started chuckling himself. "I don't know who I'm more surprised with, Kakashi-sensei or Shizune-nee-chan."

Sakura was the last to sit down. Once she was comfortable she looked up with an intrigued glint in her eye. "So? Tell us everything!"

Hinata looked to Naruto, indicating that he should start. The 'Hero of Konoha' took a deep breath before he said "It was like this."

* * *

_Pein stood over him, continuing his speech. "The world of the Ninja is ruled by hatred. How would you confront this hatred, in order to create peace?_

_Naruto looked at Pein with contempt, but also understanding. He had the right goal, but the wrong way of achieving it. His plan for peace could never work; not if it cost him Ero-sennin. He grunted from the pain of another chakra blade being stabbed into him._

"_I've avoided any vital spots and I've kept them shallow, but you will no longer be able to move on your own."_

_The loud voice of the remaining toad cried out. "Snap out of it! No matter what he says you must not listen! You're the Child of Prophecy! The savior of this world! Jiraiya and Pa sacrificed themselves because they believed that! So you cannot lose! If you give up now I won't forgive you!" _(A/N; Naruto doesn't really remember this, he just vaguely paraphrases)

_Pein blasted her away effortlessly. "Noisy frog."_

"_Teme!"_

_He turned to Naruto, aiming his hand threateningly. "I guess I'll be taking you now."_

_Naruto heard quick footsteps before he saw Hyuuga Hinata leap over him and attempt to attack Pein. She looked at Pein and angrily shouted "I won't let you hurt Naruto-kun anymore!"_

"_Reinforcements?"_

_Naruto was angry; no one was supposed to try and help him! "Why'd you come out here? Get away quickly, you're no match…"_

"_I know. I'm just being… selfish."_

"_What are you talking about? Don't put yourself in danger like this!"_

* * *

Hinata began to recite her speech to her waiting friends when Naruto recited it with her.

"_I'm here because I want to be. This time, I'm going to save you, Naruto-kun. I was always crying, giving up before even trying. I made the wrong turns so many times, but you helped me find my way and take the correct path, Naruto-kun. I always chased after you. I wanted to catch up to you. I wanted to walk beside you all the time. I want to be at your side, always. You changed me, Naruto-kun! Your smile is what saved me! That's why I'm not afraid to die, if it means I can protect you! Because… I love you, Naruto-kun!"_

She looked over at her boyfriend, surprise on her face and tears in her eyes. "You remembered?"

He looked at her intensely, emotion shining bright in his clear blue eyes, "Of course I remembered, hime. How could I ever forget?"

Hinata gave a small cry of joy and kissed him, this time not caring that they were surrounded by their friends despite the blush that tinted her cheeks. When she broke away she saw all of the women with tears in their eyes; Tsunade included. Even Shikamaru, the lazy genius of Konoha, seemed a bit touched. (A/N; it may just be me because I'm a very emotional guy, but how could anyone not find that beautiful? Hinata's speech, I mean. I understand if you don't like my bit afterwards.)

She turned back to the man whom she was holding. "Aishiteru, Naruto-kun."

He whispered to himself "I was going to say this tomorrow, but…" He spoke loudly so everyone would hear, but he was trapped looking into Hinata's beautiful lavender eyes. "Aishiteru, Hinata-chan!"

She felt her heart nearly explode as she drew him into another deep kiss, this time not even blushing as the people around them were cheering for them. _For so long I've wanted him to say that! It's been nice these past few days but now? I can't remember being happier! _

While this was going on Kakashi had people back up and clear space, although no one but Gai understood why. Once a large area was clear Kakashi whistled to get Naruto's attention. "Didn't you have something else planned?"

Grinning, Naruto stood and took Hinata by the hand. As soon as Hinata was standing up she felt herself being pulled against him; one hand on his shoulder, the other clasping his. He nudged her leg, which earned him a confused look until he started stepping forward and to the side, beginning a basic box step. Soon they were gracefully gliding across the area cleared by Kakashi, the couple looking into each others' eyes the whole time. _Did he learn this… for me? _

As if sensing her thoughts he whispered "I spent all day trying to get this down. I wanted today to be special."

"Who taught you?"

"Kurenai-sensei."

Hinata nearly missed a step out of shock –as well as frustration that Kurenai wasn't taking it easy with the pregnancy- but the negative thoughts were swept away as quickly as she was. They danced for a minute more before they closed, Naruto spinning her rapidly before dipping her low to the ground. While they were leaned over Naruto whispered to her again. "Don't forget to come by tomorrow. I have another present in mind besides the one I'm going to buy you."

"Hai, Naruto-kun." They pulled up and looked at the room full of shocked people.

Neji grinned, he actually grinned, when he saw Hinata's face. "If only you were this graceful on the battlefield, Naruto."

The women congratulated Hinata on finally getting her dream come true while the men congratulated Naruto on being the first one to get a girlfriend, although Naruto and Choji argued that that was Shikamaru. The Nara of course denied dating Temari, with that same lazy detachedness he showed with everything.

The party continued on after that, but was uneventful. Eventually the only guests still in the Yamanaka home were Sakura and the two Hyuugas.

They cleaned, as they said they would, but mostly the night consisted of the other three girls questioning her about her and Naruto. As they were about to settle into bed Hinata looked at Sakura and wholeheartedly told her "Arigato, Sakura-chan."

"What for?"

"If it hadn't been for your plan I might not have had the courage to talk to Naruto a few days ago, and then none of this could have happened. So, thank you!"

Ino was intrigued. "What plan?"

They explained the plan as sleep claimed them. Hinata's last thoughts were about the future she hoped to have with Naruto. _Uzumaki Hinata… I like that._

As Naruto practically skipped home he spotted a furniture store out of the corner of his eye. _Bedroom furniture… _He quickly memorized the address, formulating a plan. _I'm going to give Hinata-chan a gift she won't forget. _

The Kyuubi of course knew what he was thinking. **Smooth, kit. If only you could come up with plans like that in battle, it'd increase my chances of living.**

_What's up with you and Neji and insulting my combat skills? _He shook his head and wandered to his apartment. He had something big for tomorrow.

* * *

**Seeing as how I word for word copied some of his work in that flashback, I feel doubly obliged to say I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, ALL ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS AND LOCATIONS ARE PROPERTY OF MASASHI KISHIMOTO.**

**So… this chapter was a doozy! Almost as long as the first and third chapters combined! Tell me what you think! **

**First, yes, I had Hinata pass out as a cheap plot device to explore other characters PoV's. I actually had fun writing those though, especially the part with Anko and Kakashi. Tell me which of those was your favorite, if you liked them.**

**Second, what do you think of my idea to pair Shizune and Kakashi? I know it may seem kind of quick for them to go on a date, but I'll explain that later.**

**Third, I was planning starting a much longer, more serious Naruto fanfiction that used this as a precursor for the purposes of establishing romances and how Naruto and Hinata got together. And by serious I don't mean that it'll have less humor dotted throughout, but it'll include missions, the Akatsuki, Orochimaru, etc. **

**Fourth, if you can correctly guess why Naruto wants to go to a furniture store to get Hinata's gift, I'll send you a message saying you were right as well as let you make an appearance in the aforementioned follow-up story.**

**Fifth, tell me what you thought of 'moody Kurenai' teaching Naruto to dance?**

**That's all until the next chapter! After that there's just the Epilogue and Hinata-chan's Konohagakure Christmas is done! Ja ne!**


	5. Days 4 and 5 Naruto's Surprise

**Okay, final chapter is up! I know I said there would be one after this, but I decided to roll them into one. The remaining material wasn't really enough to justify separate chapters, and stretching it out too much would just kill it. At the end I'm going to show a little excerpt from that other story I mentioned last chapter, although it's only a small snippet from a ways into the story.**

* * *

Hinata blinked repeatedly as her eyes as they grew accustomed to the bright light. _It seems a little bit too bright for seven o'clock in the morning…_ She looked over to the alarm to see that it read ten fifteen in large red numbers, and there was a note next to it. She reached out and grabbed the piece of paper to read what was written in Ino's flowery script.

_Hinata-chan! Me and forehead took Hanabi-chan out to get some ice cream and maybe see a movie. We shut off the alarm so you would have plenty of rest. Now wash up, get dressed, and go spend the day with your hunky blonde boyfriend!_

Just four days ago the last sentence would have had her face glowing ten shades of crimson but now the only thought running through her mind was; _Why's Ino-chan calling MY Naruto-kun hunky?_

Eventually deciding that it was just Ino being Ino –and mentally agreeing that Naruto had a well-toned body from what she could tell- Hinata hurried into the Yamanaka's bathroom to find all of her clothes laid out alongside a small amount of makeup and a hairbrush. Although the plan hadn't really guided the events of the last two days Hinata thought back to it now as she turned on the hot water. '_Suggested tactic is to watch a movie, so you can snuggle up to him.'_ She didn't think that he'd need much encouragement or an excuse to snuggle now, but she did think that it would be nice to watch a movie with Naruto.

She started to think about Naruto while the shower washed away the dirt and sweat of the day before. She smiled but then blushed as she realized her state of dress as she thought of him. The blush grew even more as that last thought took a turn for the Kakashi. _Bad Hinata!_

_Okay, maybe I'm not over the blushing thing yet…_

She calmly finished her shower and dressed at a leisurely pace. She was on top of the world today, and she wasn't going to rush for anybody. Her wet hair hanging down her back she looked at herself in the mirror as she dressed. Maybe it was simply due to her good mood, but Hinata felt her confidence grow slightly as she saw herself. She slipped on her bra but left her shirt where it was as she went to search through Ino's closet. She looked for something larger of the blonde's because they weren't exactly… proportionate… in some areas. After finding a nice top and a thin jacket which was a bit tight on her, Hinata walked downstairs and out the door.

She looked up at the sky, letting the sunshine warm her face. She could see clouds rolling in, so she imagined that it would snow later. She thought back to when Naruto heard her singing that first night when he asked her on a date. She smiled and, eyes closed, started singing to herself. '_Ah, but it's cold outside.'_

She started to walk, eyes still closed and still softly singing, when she felt a sudden impact. She got knocked back a step and her eyes widened in shock. "Gomen! I'm so sorry! I, um… Are you, um… Are you okay?" Okay, she may not be that shy about Naruto and her friends anymore but she was still a shy person by nature.

The man on the ground before her was a thin, reedy fellow, with short, straw-like brown hair and a bored expression on his face. He went to a seated position, looked up at her and just smiled. "I don't know…" She felt her breath catch as she thought of possibly hurting someone. "You might just have to let me take you to dinner to make up for it." He gave a sly smile at the end.

_Not gonna' happen! _"Gomen, I already have a boyfriend."

"Aw, come on! It'd be fun!"

"As I said, I already am seeing someone."

He gave her a sad but determined look. "I bet after one night with me you'd be willing to dump whoever that guy is."

_Is he from out of Konoha? Although I don't like preferential treatment no one in Konoha would act like this to a Hyuuga._ _Either way I guess I should give this guy a hint. _"For your information, I love my boyfriend more than I think a man like you could understand," She couldn't stand people that would try and 'steal' someone who was in a relationship, "and I have laid down my life for him. He is kind, caring, determined, and a much better man than you'll ever be!"

He looked angry for a moment. "Hey, bitch, I don't know what-"

_Bitch? That's it!_ She activated her Byakugan as the man was speaking and delivered two quick Juuken strikes to the tenketsu in the man's shoulders, followed by one to his stomach. With the sudden difficulty of movement the man fell flat to the ground.

She was amazed at her anger, and how boldly she had attacked the man. _I think I'm developing Sakura-chan's temper. _She felt ashamed of her outburst and leaned over the man again. "What do you think you're doing!" She rapidly reopened the tenketsu and helped the man to his feet.

"Gomen. I just could not stand someone insulting Naruto-kun."

"Naruto?" His face grew pale as he recognized the name. He came from the Land of Spring, where the boy was relatively well-known thanks to the Daimyo holding him in high regard. And ever since he arrived he had been hearing tales of the boy's exploits and how he saved the village. He had just been indirectly insulting the Hero of Konoha and hitting on his girlfriend. "Uh, I-I think th-that I sh-should g-go." He stiffly ran away from the spot, grateful that he hadn't given a name.

Hinata just shook her head. _That's what you get for dating the future Hokage._ She held no doubt in her mind that Naruto would become Hokage; and a great one at that. She continued on her way to find Naruto sitting outside his apartment watching the clouds.

"Naruto-kun?"

He looked at her and smiled. "Sorry, I guess I've just been spending too much time around Shikamaru. What are you doing here so early?"

"I thought that maybe we could relax around your apartment?" She was proud that her voice barely shook and sounded mostly confident.

"I gotta' say Hinata-hime, You changed a lot in just four days. Not so long ago you would have fainted just saying that."

She blushed a bit, although this was from embarrassment rather than from being around Naruto. "Ano, I guess that I just needed something to give me some confidence…"

"Let's go inside, Hina-hime."

She followed him inside and gave him a weird look. "Princess?"

"Well, you are my princess! You're beautiful and smart, just like all those princesses in the stories. Besides, being the Hyuuga heiress you're practically royalty anyway."

She felt her cheeks heat from the praise. _Ugh, I thought I got over blushing around Naruto!_ Seeing her frustration he said, "Hina-hime, you look cute with your blush." This of course made her cheeks darken more but that didn't bother her so much right then.

_Okay, maybe I have to get used to compliments but I swear that one day I won't blush around him!_

"Naruto-kun, how about we watch a movie?"

"Hmm… do you like the Princess Gale movies?"

"Hai."

"Want to watch one?"

"Okay."

He went and retrieved a copy of one of the movies while Hinata sat down on his couch and looked at his television blankly. _Wait… when did Naruto get a television? _"Naruto-kun, why didn't I notice this when I was here last?"

"Huh? Oh. Tsunade-baa-chan got it for me, but she said Sakura wanted her to give it to me early. I don't really know why… anyway, I got it set up yesterday."

Wait, Sakura had him get it early? '_Suggested tactic is to watch a movie…'_ She couldn't have planned that all out… right? Although… Sakura was resourceful…

Naruto walked over to the television, and as he opened the case she saw a piece of paper fall to the ground. She picked it up off of the floor and was a bit surprised when she saw it. She saw a younger Naruto, lying on a hospital bed with his eyes closed, receiving a kiss from Yukie Fujikaze, the leading actress in the film. She showed him the image, saying "When did this happen?"

"Oh, that? That happened a while ago when we got a mission to Yuki no Kuni." Naruto sat down next to her and began to spin a probably over-exaggerated tale of the exploits of Team Seven. She listened, but was distracted as she saw the pain in his eyes when he talked about Sasuke. After what had seemed to be a long time the story drew to a close. "I was bummed out that I didn't get a picture with Yukie, but Sasuke-teme gave me that as a gift."

_I think it would be good for Naruto to not think about Sasuke. _"Naruto-kun?"

"Hai, hime?"

"When did you change your mind about me, so to speak?"

It took him a while to figure out what she meant but eventually he responded. "Well… to be honest it was kind of on the way to see you when I wanted to ask you about the present. I had remembered everything you said, and I felt warm inside… it was like when I was with Sakura just it seemed a bit more real. I hadn't really ever noticed how pretty you were before then. I mean, you were my friend and I felt like I could trust you with more than anyone else, but I never thought it would be more than that. Can you forgive me for being a total baka?"

She smiled at him warmly and leaned in to give him a light, chaste kiss on the lips in answer. "How about that movie?"

Naruto smiled back as he got up to play the movie. Before the movie started Naruto resumed his position while Hinata snuggled up against him. He wrapped an arm about her, pulling her tighter against him.

She only half paid attention to the movie, as she listened to the jinchuuriki's heartbeat and became calmer as she felt the rise and fall of his chest. Life was good.

_Naruto-kun, I can't think of a time where I was happier than I am now._

As Princess Gale won out and the screen faded to black she heard her boyfriend give a long, adorable yawn as he stretched his arms. "So hime, ready to go shopping for gifts?"

"Well, Naruto-kun, I was thinking that you could get me something without me there. I'm sure I'll love whatever you get."

His eyes shone with triumph and an undertone of mischief. _What are you planning, Naruto-kun? _"Okay, but can you help me pick out gifts for the others?"

"Hai, although I haven't gotten them gifts yet either."

"You know what? We can give them all gifts from the both of us as a couple."

"I would like that, Naruto-kun."

He helped her up off of the couch and turned toward the door. "By the way Hina-hime, I think you look just as good in your clothes as you do Ino's. You don't have to flaunt yourself to look beautiful."

She was dumbstruck. Was Naruto being more observant? She was amazed at the concept but didn't think too long on it. "Arigato, Naruto-kun." She made to follow him, and soon the bluenette and the blonde were walking arm in arm through the more commercial district of Konoha.

Of course the stores were crowded, as many people were doing what they were; last minute shopping. However, everyone made way for the 'Hero of Konoha', except for a stubborn few whom Hinata could see muttering about the 'demon brat.' She glared at them, but returned her focus to what they had been hoping to acquire.

They traveled through nearly every store around but they found gifts for all of their friends and Hinata's relatives. For Choji, they got a ridiculously sized cookbook. Hinata hadn't been sure what to get him as she imagined that the Akimichis probably had a very well stocked kitchen, and she didn't know much about Choji besides his love of food. Naruto had been the one to settle on the idea, and Hinata couldn't think of anything better.

For Shikamaru, they had actually gotten two gifts. Hinata had been very serious about getting a good gift, and had wanted to get him a new shogi board. Naruto, on the other hand, got him a small instructional booklet on how to sleep with your eyes open. She had no idea where he had found that, but giggled when she thought of the appropriateness.

For Ino, they bought new flower seeds from a traveling merchant from Haru no Kuni. Hinata made sure to learn the meanings of the flowers so Ino wouldn't have to go searching. It wasn't extravagant, but she figured Ino would like it.

Shino's gift was just assorted bugs they found in the forests surrounding Konoha. Even though she was on his team, she didn't know anything about Shino besides that he collected bugs for his colonies. She felt bad that she couldn't find something else –after all, Shino had probably catalogued all of the bugs in the area- but it's the thought that counts, right?

The next gift was actually stumbled upon by accident. As they were traversing the shops they heard a high pitched whine coming from one of the alleyways. When Naruto went to investigate, Hinata was surprised to see him walk out with a medium-sized, hungry-looking dog cradled in his arms. Of course no one could handle dogs better than the Inuzukas, so Kiba's gift was pretty simple to figure out.

Hinata felt a little bad about it, but Kurenai's gift was more for the baby than her. She got some small clothes and Naruto's assured assistance in assembling the crib and painting the child's room. The latter was obviously not Naruto's idea.

Gai and Lee got a group gift, seeing as how Lee would simply want whatever Gai wanted. And what else would Lee and Gai want besides a new, heavier set of weights? They had to approximate the weight, so Naruto decided on the set that he could barely lift and had to wheel out on a cart.

Neji would be receiving a new set of robes that matched his current ones. Not that Hinata didn't know Neji and couldn't think of anything, but rather she did know Neji and knew he wouldn't want anything. She also got him a new cloth for his hitai-ate.

Of course Tenten was receiving a new set of kunai… and some help from Hinata to get her Neji's attention. Maybe she could also consider that part of Neji's gift.

Naruto wanted to get something for 'Tsunade-baa-chan' so he bought a random book for a low price, and meticulously hollowed it out with one of his kunai. He then bought her a small bottle of sake which he carefully placed inside the new cavity. As another part of the gift he would mislead Shizune about her hiding places for her liquor so her stash would be safe. Hinata was a bit concerned about the Hokage's health and her drinking problem, but she didn't want to ruin it for her boyfriend so she would remain quiet.

They had issues finding Kakashi a gift, as the Icha Icha novels were over since Jiraiya's death… until Naruto remembered the manuscript he wrote for the late Ero-sennin. That resolved matters pretty quickly, as he had been given a copy of it by Jiraiya despite his insistence against it. Hopefully Kakashi would like Naruto's writing as well as his sensei's.

That left Sakura. Hinata, to Naruto's confusion, wanted to get her the best gift they could find. They searched forever, it seemed, yet still not a single gift could meet her standards. She needed something that could give her as much hope and joy as Sakura had given her. Then she thought of the only thing that could possibly make Sakura truly happy. It was not something physical, but it meant many times more.

Just before they parted ways Hinata asked something that had been bugging her… just a little, mind you. "Naruto-kun, why did you mention that you felt like you had to get me a gift for saving you, implying that you wouldn't have otherwise… and now we're getting gifts for everyone else?"

He gave her his winning smile. "Well, I don't want too many people to be jealous of my Hina-hime. Plus, I figure, since I'm finally happy I might as well spread to everyone." He planted a tender kiss on her lips and said. "I'll see you tomorrow; I need time to get my gift ready. I'll tell everyone else to come by for their gifts tomorrow after I drop them off at the apartment. Aishiteru."

She gave him one last kiss before leaving. "Aishiteru, Naruto-kun." She saw him walking away with the packages precariously held with one arm while he barely held onto Kiba's gift with the other.

_What to get Naruto-kun… Ramen? No, he needs to try and eat better. Kunai? It has to be more personal. Maybe I could… _She blushed intensely as the thought formed in her mind. _I don't think I can handle that. Wait, I got it! _

She found the nearest store she could to get her desired gift; a pendant inscribed which she then had inscribed with their nindo. Hinata didn't know why, but the idea just came to her and she liked it. And she got a discount when she let it drop that she was Naruto's girlfriend and that it was for him. It seemed like a lot of shopkeepers were interested in getting the blonde jinchuuriki's patronage.

She couldn't help but feel excited and curious as she thought of what Naruto would get her.

* * *

Naruto quickly hurried away from the Hyuuga compound before Hinata could get back, a bag full of her clothes tucked under one arm. Hanabi, Neji and even Hiashi had agreed to his gift, and had allowed him to set up his surprise. Neji, unsurprisingly, said that it would be good for him since he was an utter slob. Neji also insisted that Hanabi take over the handling of Hinata's underwear, since he didn't trust Naruto to handle that matter respectfully. Then to the ten year old's chagrin, Naruto made her go tell the others to swing by his apartment like he said he would so she wouldn't get suspicious.

_Man is Hina-hime gonna' be surprised! I hope she accepts the gift…_

Channeling chakra into his legs to urge them to greater speeds Naruto dashed to the furniture store he had seen yesterday. In his excitement and anticipation for the next day Naruto practically ran through the store to the item he wanted. Easily hefting the box containing the parts of the wooden construction Naruto paid and ran to his home.

He hurriedly slammed and locked the door, then set about building his purchase. Naruto looked around the room and was relieved to not find dog excrement everywhere. The aforementioned dog was peacefully sleeping on his couch. He spent the better part of the night figuring out the instructions but eventually had his surprise prepared. _Merry Christmas, Hina-hime. I bet you weren't expecting this!_

* * *

This time when Hinata woke to Hanabi in her room, it wasn't the least bit surprising; there wasn't a year gone by that Hanabi hadn't woke her up early for presents. What did come as a shock was that Hiashi was also up, and was smiling at them. It wasn't much of a smile, but it was the closest most Hyuuga came to a real one.

"Musume, your sister has been eagerly awaiting her gifts. I said that you should be the one to give her gift first, since you have always been closest with her."

"Arigato, Otou-sama."

Hinata shooed her sister out of the room before grabbing a carefully wrapped box from beneath her bed. Still in her pajamas from the night before Hinata quietly walked to one of the rooms set aside for main family members. She and Hanabi had always treated it as the family room, but this was the first time that they actually felt like a family as they gathered inside it. Hanabi loved her new kimono and the weights once Hinata explained their purpose. Hanabi was as serious with her training as Lee, if not nearly as enthusiastic or ridiculous. Hanabi's return gift was… toiletries and scented soaps and shampoos? She appreciated the gift certainly but she didn't understand the rationale. _There's always enough soap and such in the baths, why would Hanabi get me this?_

Hiashi first gave Hanabi her gift; a scroll of various Hyuuga techniques. Of course he was assailed by a wave of 'I love you Otou-sama!' and 'Arigato!'. Hinata thought it was really cute; her sister was much more vocal than the average Hyuuga when around their close family, which had now expanded to their father.

The elder man turned to his daughter with a smirk as he handed her his gift, a new set of… towels? _They're planning something. _(A/N; if you can't figure out what Naruto's gift is, or 'a part of' Naruto's gift, than I don't think you're paying much attention.)

"Arigato Otou-sama, Imouto." She gave her father a hug and her sister a kiss to the forehead. "I need to get dressed; Naruto and I have gifts that we have to give out to our friends." She noticed the twitching at the corners of her sister's mouth, as if she was fighting a grin. _They are definitely planning something!_

She calmly walked to her room and began to scour her closet for some nice clothes. Of course the small space still had a multitude of outfits, but it was noticeably emptier. _What's going on?_ She snatched out an outfit very similar to what she had worn when she went to Naruto's house before their date. _I'll figure it out when I come home later, for now I should just relax and enjoy the day with Naruto-kun._

She had nearly stepped out the door when Hanabi came up to her with a disappointed, almost sad face. "Onee-chan, you're not going to show Naruto what Otou-sama and I got you? Don't you like it?"

_Curse children for being adorable! If only Sakura-chan could teach me to reject people._ She realized a possible connotation of that thought and suddenly felt bad. _Sakura-chan isn't mean. _"Of course I love your gifts, Hanabi-chan! It just skipped my mind! How about you go get them for me?"

"Hai!" The younger Hyuuga sister returned in remarkable time with the gifts held out. "Here you go Onee-chan!"

She smiled as she grabbed the assorted bathroom items and headed over to Naruto's apartment. _What are those two up to? Wait, is Neji in on it too? Maybe I can ask him what's going on. _Before she knew it she found herself knocking on Naruto's door.

When he answered he looked confused as he saw the bundle she was carrying but she just shot him a look that said, _'I'll explain later.'_ Naruto courteously stepped aside and allowed her in. She set Hiashi and Hanabi's gift on his couch. She simply looked from the blonde to the towels and back again. "My Christmas gifts."

Naruto just nodded as he gazed into the mid-distance. "Well Hina-hime, I guess now we just wait for people to swing by. What should we do?"

"Umm…" she blushed as her stomach growled loudly.

"Well, your stomach knows best Hinata! What do you want to eat?"

"Ano, is there anything left from when I cooked dinner?"

"Hai."

"Okay." Hinata searched through Naruto's fridge for any vegetables and began to toss a salad, a perplexed Naruto watching over her shoulder; he simply couldn't comprehend not eating meat or ramen.

The very second that Hinata sat down there was a knock on the door, followed by a loud cry of "Yosh! Naruto, we have come to answer your youthful invitation!" _Of course Lee and Gai-sensei are here first. _

Hinata walked over and opened the door for the spandex-clad pair. "Lee, Gai-sensei, please come in!"

Lee, enthusiastic as ever, shouted his reply. "Arigato, Hinata! Your flames of youth burn bright with the spirit of giving!"

Gai and his brainwashed clone crossed the threshold just as Naruto was painfully dragging out their gift. Gai made to assist him, and gave one of his smiles that managed to shine slightly as he saw and felt the weights. "Ah, Naruto, this gift shows the power of your flames of youth! We shall begin training with them immediately!"

Then, just for a laugh, Naruto pulled a Kakashi. "Gai-sensei, did you say something?"

Gai was dumbstruck. "Naruto! It seems that my eternal rival has poisoned your flames of youth with his 'hip and cool' attitude!'

"Okay, Gai-sensei. Enjoy the gifts, flames of youth or whatever."

"Ah, Naruto, one day you too will embrace the power of youth! Yosh! Lee! Let us put on our new weights and be gone!"

"Hai!"

Being careful to not leave craters in his floor, the green beasts of Konoha replaced their ungodly training equipment.

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

Luckily for the couple the duo left before they appeared in front of a sunset while they hugged. They both sweatdropped and Hinata returned to her meal. _Neji-nii-san certainly has some interesting teammates. _She slowly brought her fork to her mouth, trying to remain a lady-like composure. She began to happily take her first bite, not noticing the dressing on the corner of her mouth, when there was yet another knock at the door. Rolling her eyes Hinata went to answer.

She was greeted by the shocked face of her cousin. She turned her head curiously, as she didn't want to talk while her mouth was full of food. "Hinata-sama?" He started giving the dreaded Hyuuga glare in the general direction of the apartment's owner. "NARUTO!"

Hinata quickly swallowed her mouthful of food to question the other Hyuuga's rash actions when she noticed the gob of off-white dressing. _Wait, does Neji-nii-san think… _She blushed profusely and stammered out a justification. "N-neji-nii-san! It's not what you think! You see I was eating my breakfast when-"

"Uzumaki, how dare you take advantage of Hinata-sama!"

"Neji, what are you talking about?"

Hinata had to interject quickly before Neji did something drastic. "I was eating salad, and some dressing got on my lip. Nothing happened, Neji-nii-san!"

The older Hyuuga nodded but continued to glare at Naruto. The blonde couldn't keep the frantic hurry out of his step as he got the robes and cloth. Neji graciously accepted with a low bow. "Arigato, Hinata-sama." He turned on his heel and stalked away.

Hinata had to debate about whether to go back to eating or fainting from embarrassment. She felt her legs almost give out but she managed to stand strong. _Come on Hinata, you can do this! No more fainting! Just go and enjoy the salad!_

This time she managed to actually get a few bites in before being interrupted again. She was a bit surprised to see the other members of Team Eight along with their sensei all together. She gave them an affectionate smile. "Shino-kun, Kiba-kun, Akamaru, Kurenai-sensei, please come in!" The two boys walked past her, but she stopped the red-haired woman as she followed. "Kurenai-sensei, I wanted to thank you for teaching Naruto-kun to dance; it was great."

"I heard about it from Kiba-kun. It seems to me that Naruto can be romantic, even if he isn't perceptive."

"Hai."

Shino wordlessly accepted the bugs with an imperceptible nod. Kiba was much more vocal about his gift. "Damn it baka, what have you been feeding this thing? It's starving!"

"Well we found it like that. I've only had it for a little while."

"Poor girl! She'd probably collapse in a couple of days.

"Wait, it's a girl?"

The Inuzuka boy gave a wry look to Hinata. "Sorry Hinata-chan. It looks like you have the one boyfriend who can't tell the difference between boys and girls."

"Shut up, dog breath! Sorry that I don't look at animal's junk!"

As the insults began to fly the larger dog sniffed the newcomer twice. There was a palpable tension before Akamaru licked the other's face. Kiba laughed. "Looks like Akamaru found himself a mate! I'll call her Fukasaisho."

The Aburame and the Inuzuka left, although Naruto was too distracted to notice. "How does a dog as big as Akamaru mate with a dog as small as that one?" (Think chocolate lab size; not small, only in comparison to the ninken.)

Hinata grabbed the pile of baby clothes and handed them to Kurenai. "That's not the entire gift, sensei. I'm also giving you Naruto for a day to set up the baby's room." Naruto grunted.

"Arigato Hinata-chan, and you as well Naruto." She gave a warm hug to her student and another one surprisingly to the blonde. As she leaned in she whispered "Arigato, for giving Hinata-chan a good night out."

This time Hinata didn't even bother to resume eating, just standing still for a few minutes until another knock on the door. She wondered if it was a bad thing to not be surprised as the Hokage snuck into the house with a mishievious grin. "So gaki, what do you have for me?"

He showed her the hollowed-out book with the sake, causing the old woman to laugh. Naruto spoke up before she said anything. "And tomorrow, I'm going to tell Shizune-chan about 'some' of your hiding places. She'll think that I'm just doing it to annoy you so she won't even think to look anywhere else."

"Although I don't want to have to sacrifice some of my stash, I suppose it's better in the long run. Merry Christmas gaki." The Hokage snuck back out of the apartment without sharing a word with the Hyuuga Heiress.

Within minutes another knock sounded at the door. Hinata simply yelled "Come in!" and watched Team Ten file in.

The different members of Team Ten received their gifts in different ways. Shikamaru simply looked at the booklet, noticed that it was several pages long, and noticed that he would have to carry the shogi board then muttered "Troublesome." Ino gave them both hugs and thanked them. Choji simply zoned out and drool dribbled out of the corner of his mouth."

Tenten walked in as the others left. "Hey Hinata-chan! Naruto-kun!"

The couple simultaneously answered "Tenten-chan."

_Wait, I didn't know he was close to Tenten._

Naruto, seemingly reading her thoughts, explained. "Tenten and I talked a couple times, hung out once or twice. She helped me with my training and I gave her targets for her kunai." The blonde didn't notice the look of confusion and alarm, he just handed her the set of kunai while Hinata handed her a piece of paper. "Hinata-chan, what's this?"

_Something you really want, that's what! _"It's a list of Neji's likes, dislikes, favorite places and hobbies. And some advice on how to get his attention."

The older girl blushed a little but gratefully snatched the paper away, nearly forgetting about the kunai. "Arigato."

That left Team Seven. They didn't have to wait long until the Copy Nin of Konoha shunshined into the center of Naruto's apartment, suddenly appearing in a swirl of leaves. "Yo."

Naruto chuckled as he went to retrieve his sensei's gift. He simply couldn't wait to see the look on Kakashi's face when he received another Icha Icha novel. The jinchuuriki was not disappointed.

Kakashi's single eye went wide when he saw what his student held out to him. "Naruto? What is this? I thought that Icha Icha; Tactics was the only one left since Jiraiya-sama died! When did he write this?" His voice held something of reverence and awe as he looked at the near-sacred book.

"He didn't write it; I did! Ero-sennin made me write for him to continue my training. I heard it's actually sold well."

_Is Kakashi-sensei… crying? Naruto-kun said he loved the books but I didn't think it went that far… _

Sure enough, tears were running down the face of the silver-haired jonin. "Naruto, I have never been more proud of a student than I am right now!" His voice sounded choked. _He cannot be serious!_

He suddenly regained his composure as though nothing had happened. "Okay, all done. I can't let Gai get an excuse to preach about the 'flames of youth'. Ja ne, Naruto-kun." In another swirl of leaves he was gone.

"That's the first time he's added '-kun' to my name."

Hinata sweatdropped. At least that only left-

"Sakura-chan!"

The pinkette slowly walked into the room. "Konichiwa, Naruto-kun. Hinata-chan?"

_I hope she likes the gift. _"Sakura-chan, I promise that I shall help Naruto-kun in his attempts to return Sasuke-san to the village until such a time that you no longer wish it or it is not possible. I promise this and I shall not go back on it for that is my nindo."

Sakura was speechless. "H-hinata, you don't have to do that!"

"You have helped me become happy, so the least I can do is try and return the favor."

"Arigato, Hinata-chan. Do you mind if I stay here for a bit, to maybe have some tea and talk? I have nothing better to do."

Hinata nodded earnestly. "Hai." Then she blushed a bit as she realized how presumptuous she had been. "Gomen, I shouldn't have just said yes like that. It is Naruto-kun's home, not mine."

As Naruto said "Of course it's not a problem!" Hinata saw Sakura wink at him conspiratorially. _Wait, are those two in on it too? And what is 'it'?_

Sakura sat down on the couch. "Hinata, what did you get Naruto?"

_Oh, right! I almost forgot about Naruto-kun's gift! Baka!_ She quickly reached into one of the pockets of her pants and wrapped her fingers around the cold metal surface. "Naruto-kun, close your eyes." Once her boyfriend did as she asked, Hinata placed the pendant over his neck. "You can open them."

He looked down at the piece of metal hanging from the cord and read the words off of it. "'I'm not going to run away, I never go back on my word, for that is my nindo!'" He looked up into her eyes. "Thanks Hina-hime!" He gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Merry Christmas, Naruto-kun."

She saw a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Hime, come into my bedroom."

_Is he asking me to… _She felt her heart beat faster and her face glow red. Naruto didn't even notice the poor choice of words until Sakura coughed loudly. "Oh! Not that, I mean, your present's in the bedroom."

She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding and felt the embarrassment ebb away, but she also felt a bit disappointed. _No! Bad Hinata!_

He walked through the door behind him. She followed him as Sakura followed behind her. She looked around and saw… nothing. She saw a bed, a bedside table with an alarm clock, a couple of small dressers and… some of her jackets resting on top of the left-hand dresser? She felt her heart start speeding up again. _No Hinata, don't jump to conclusions. It's probably not what it seems like. _"Naruto-kun, why do you need two dressers?"

He looked at her nonchalantly. "The second dresser is your gift!"

"Arigato, Naruto-kun, but why did you get me a dresser?"

"Well, I figured you wouldn't want our clothes to get all mixed up. Plus I don't know what you put in which drawer."

_What? Is he asking me what I think he is? _"Naruto-kun, what are you saying?"

"Hyuuga Hinata, how would you like to move in with me?"

She stood there in shock, not even registering as Sakura started counting down behind her. "Outburst in… three… two…" Hinata shouted happily as Sakura mouthed the word "one."

She ran up and embraced Naruto. "Yes! Of course I'll move in with you!" Then the pieces fell together. "That's why Otou-sama and Hanabi-chan got me bathroom supplies… and that's why some of my clothes were missing!"

"Hai. I've been planning it since yesterday. I went to get your clothes after you went to find my gift, which I love by the way."

"I thought you went to tell the others to swing by for their gifts."

"I had Hanabi do it. Neji, Hanabi and Hiashi all agreed to go along with my plan, and since no one blabbed about it today I suppose everyone else did too."

"They all know?"

"Hai."

Hinata pulled him into a loving kiss. She pulled back only to wave goodbye as Sakura left. The couple stood for a while in each other's arms, lost as they gazed into passionate eyes. Silence blanketed the room until Naruto suddenly broke it. "That just leaves the question of whether we share the bed or I sleep on the couch."

"Well… um…"

"I don't know, it would probably weird just sleeping together in bed. It would probably be kind of awkward."

_Bad Hinata! I can't believe I'm going to say this! Don't faint, don't faint. _She kept that mantra running through her mind as she spoke. Her voice was very shy and quiet, "Well, Naruto-kun-" She tried again with a more seductive tone. "Well Naruto-kun, how about we break it in to get rid of the… tension?"

_Don't faint, don't faint, DON'T FAINT! _

Naruto got over his surprise quickly with a confident smirk. "I don't know who you are, or what you've done with my nice, shy and innocent Hina-hime, but that sounds like a great idea." He slowly laid her out onto the covers, placing a kiss on her neck which caused her to shudder. "Merry Christmas, Hime."

She felt another shudder run through her body as another kiss landed, this time on her jawline. She felt excited, yet oddly calm as he lay down on top of her. She stared into his brilliant blue eyes. "Aishiteru, Koishii."

Before he lost himself to desire which he had not even noticed lurking Naruto stared straight back into the beautiful lavender pools that belonged to the face of an angel. "Aishiteru, my Hinata-hime."

* * *

**So, tell me what you think! I know that this part was a lot less focused than the last chapters, but it was mostly to just wrap everything up. Also, for anyone who found themselves thinking that the romance progressed a bit too quick; remember that this takes place after he has had at least a month to reflect on Hinata confessing her love. And did Hinata move in quite early in their relationship? Naruto has always lived alone and probably feels pretty lonely in his apartment. And Hinata's dreamed of being with Naruto for a long time, so I think she'd accept. Plus, what did you think of the ending? I hadn't planned on it but it just seemed right. In terms of being OOC; every shy person has a wild side, right? **

**One thing I'm going to say in justification; I know it's part of Naruto's character, but I REALLY didn't want to take the time to make sure to write 'dattebayo!' at the end of a lot of his sentences. **

**Also, in terms of relation to the canon, this story takes place around the time of the beginning of the Kage Summit. Danzo was sent to the summit, yet was killed by Sasuke before he got there. Naruto never left to find the wayward Uchiha and Sakura didn't pull that shit in the Land of Iron. The other nations have formed the alliance, yet have not received word from Konoha. Suna and the other villages sent ambassadors, who have just begun their journey to Konahagakure no Sato. **

**The story is over, and the next part of Naruto and Hinata's lives and those of the rest of Konoha is beginning. I don't know when it will start being posted, but wait until the next story; new love will bloom, old love will wither. New enemies rise and old enemies fall. In the end it all goes on, and in the center of it all stands everyone's favorite knucklehead.**

**I'm just going to say, things will be noticeably rougher for Naruto and Hinata; neither of them are perfect and they won't be a perfect couple. They'll have issues, and there'll be crying and yelling. Just as a head's up for an increase in drama.**

**Also, here's that small blurb I mentioned;**

* * *

She felt herself being to shake unwillingly as she stared into the hateful red eyes of the black-haired man before her, the palpable aura of darkness and resentment that surrounded him making her uneasy. _Look away! Don't make eye contact!_ She quickly cast her gaze to his feet.

She slowly looked higher up, stopping at his jawline as he said. "Hyuuga Hinata. You always were a failure, just as you are now." His voice was so cold. "Run away now, before I kill you along with the rest of this pathetic village."

Her instincts screamed at her to run, to get as far away from this man as she could. The fear he struck in her heart made attacking Pein seem easy by comparison. But as she cast her lavender-eyed gaze back to the violently thrashing form of the blonde man she loved, she felt determination steel her nerves. It started out as a whisper. "No." _Sorry, Sakura-chan, but I fear that I may have to break my promise._

A hint of confusion sounded through the icy chill. "What?"

She spoke again, her voice growing louder with every word. "I said no! I will not run from you, nor anyone else, Sasuke Uchiha! You will not hurt Naruto-kun!"

* * *

**For anyone who wanted to see a fight between Hinata and Sasuke, I hope I can do it justice.**

**Ja ne!**


End file.
